Return of the Curse
by warrior-princess-1311
Summary: It's been a year since Taryn and August were able to destroy the curse and put Isis and Colton behind bars. But the winds are changing. Things are stirring and there's a new enemy in the midst. Just when Taryn thinks it's all over, she's forced to return to the one place she never wanted to see again...the curse. [Sequel to The Curse]
1. Prologue

**I'm back! with many new ideas for the sequel! Sorry that I've been gone so long but I didn't have much motivation for this story then, and I wanted to give you the best.**

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Alright, I know I had passed that tree before. Oh, don't look at me like that. It was pure observation. This particular tree had purple mushrooms growing out of the side of the trunk, and it had bright blue leaves. It was hard to miss, even in the dark.

Wondering what's going on yet? Well join the club. One minute I was at home, getting ready for bed and the next, I was back inside the stupid curse. Crazy right? My thoughts exactly. And it didn't help at all that I was being chased by one of those stupid monkeys again. The scars under my eye burned from the memory of what happened the last time.

I dove to the side as the monkey took another shot. He missed by a few inches, and I let out a breath of relief before jumping back to my feet and bolting in the other direction. The monkey bellowed in anger and then took off after me. I groaned in frustration. He was annoyingly stubborn.

As I heard him growing closer again, I changed directions, heading off to my right. I discovered that those stupid monkeys couldn't change direction very quickly, so I used that to my advantage. I was constantly changing direction, which might be the reason I was always ending up in the same place.

Distantly, I heard a sound I didn't think I would ever hear again. Water. I was getting close to Pirates Bay! A sudden burst of adrenaline coursed through my body. This was my ticket out of here! I could swim, but the monkey couldn't, and it couldn't hover over water for very long.

A force from behind suddenly pushed my body forward, sending me sprawling to the ground. I rolled to my back to see the monkey hovering over me, his fangs bared. I'd gotten too distracted and allowed him to catch up! I was so stupid!

I briefly wondered why he hadn't attacked yet. All it would take was one dive and I would be dead. So why hadn't he? My question was answered with a soft 'popping' sound and quiet laughter.

"My, my, Taryn. You really have gotten yourself into quite the pickle this time, haven't you?" Isis' voice sounded from beside me. I tore my eyes away from the monkey to glare at the beautiful woman. Her flawless features seemed to glow in the dark of the forest. "Don't look so happy to see me, Taryn." She mocked. "I've only come to say hello to an old friend."

I scoffed at her. "Friend my butt." I bit back. "Now come here so I can strangle you." I jumped to my feet and Isis backpedaled a few steps. I'm not going to lie, it felt good that she was scared of me. It gave me that extra edge.

"Come now, Taryn. That's no way to treat a person."

"Yeah, well, I'm not not completely sure you are human so, there's that." I shrugged. "Besides, I don't think you qualify for that role." I took another step forward, making Isis take another step back. "This isn't funny, Isis." I growled, completely forgetting about the monkey behind me. "Why am I here. Why'd you bring me back?"

Isis chuckled. "But if I told you, that would take all the fun out of it!"

"Isis." My voice was low and threatening. I even sensed the monkey behind me retreat a few paces.

"Oh, relax." She huffed. "You're not really here, now are you?" I just looked at her with a blank expression. What in the world was she talking about? "Think about it, Taryn. You can't really be back inside the curse. It was destroyed, remember?" She rolled her eyes. "You really aren't the brightest sometimes, are you?"

"Don't push it." I warned.

Isis just rolled her eyes again. "You should have figured this out by now, Taryn. This is just a dream." My eyes widened in disbelief as I stared at her. "You should see your face!" She laughed, the angelic sound seeming to echo throughout the forest. "All you have to do to leave, is wake up." The smile she gave me was smug and completely unpleasant.

"I can't wake up, can I?" I realized.

"Oh, you can wake up. Just not for a few more hours. Have fun with the rest of your time here, Miss Bauer." The last thing I heard was her angelic yet completely deranged laugh, echoing off the trees. Once the sound faded, the monkey screeched and dove once more.

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So you're back for another round, huh? You just couldn't stay away, could you? Fine, but I'm warning you, it won't be so easy this time. Oh, I have another story to tell alright, but I'm not so sure you can handle it. This one will be so much different from the first. I'm not sure if you're ready for that yet. You are, are you? You sure about that? Fine, don't say I didn't warn you. Strap on your seat-belts boys and girls and hold on tight, cause here we go! This story begins only about a year after the curse was destroyed.

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 **Follow/comment! There's so much more to come! :)**


	2. Chapter 1

**WELCOME BACK! sorry again for being so absent for so long. But I have some great ideas for this story now and I can't wait for you all to hear them :) I hope you enjoy the first installment of Taryn's next chapter!**

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For those of you who don't know me - my name is Taryn Bauer. I'm now nineteen, but not much has changed since the last time we were together. I still have the long, unmanageable black hair and sharp brown eyes. People still avoid me as if they're afraid  
I'll mug them or something. Dixie said it's because I give off a dark vibe...I'm still not sure what she means by that. My temper is as short as ever, and since the curse happened, it's only seemed to have gotten shorter.

What's the curse? Seriously? You don't know? Well I suggest going back and reading the first part of the story since this one won't make much sense if you don't.

Anyway, for those who are returning to the story, welcome back. After the curse was broken and we had all been returned to the real world, Dixie, August and I found ourselves renting an old, two bedroom apartment together. August and Dixie had both found  
themselves decent jobs, but I continued to struggle finding any employment. Apparently no one wanted to hire a brooding, nineteen year our spare time, we searched for any clues that might lead us to August's mother.

We finally thought our lives were beginning to return to normal, but that would have been too easy. Just when things were looking up for us, trouble hit like lightning. Sudden and dramatic. And that's where this story begins. Hold on tight, because this  
ride is about to become insane.

The street lamp flickered against the cold rain as it pelted the cobbled streets. Up ahead, the normally crowded street was bare, it's travelers all taking shelter indoors. All except one. Well, ok, two if you count me. I clung to the shadows of the side  
streets as I trailed the dark figure. The person did their best to look casual as they shuffled down the puddle ridden street, though they kept glancing over their shoulder as if they were being followed and I had a feeling it wasn't me they were  
looking for.

After a year of searching, I had finally come across a lead to find August's mother. Showing what I had found to August, he quickly shut it down, stating that it was far to great a risk and I was not to go chasing after it. So of course, I followed it.  
He didn't know I was here and it was going to stay that way, for now. At least until I could find some solid evidence that linked this to his mother. He would kill me if he found out I had snuck out behind his back, especially since this lead seemed  
to be linked to one family in particular. Isis's family.

Ever since the curse, August had been extremely over protective. He never let me go anywhere or do anything unless he knew exactly what I was doing or where I was going. Most of the time he made me take him with, 'just to be safe.' Now, don't get me wrong,  
it was sweet, but it was quickly getting old. I think I'd proved by now that I could take care of myself.

The dark figure suddenly changed course and darted down a side street. I frowned as I watched them disappear. That was a dead end street. The only thing down there was the White Ghost Pub. It was a shady little place where all the creepy people, who come  
out at night, liked to hang out.

Once the way was clear, I followed, slipping around the Art Supplies Plus, and watched around the corner as the figure strode toward the pub. Their demeanor had changed, like it was a completely different person. No longer, jumpy and nervous, the figure  
strode forward with an unmistakable confidence. What caused the sudden change?

"What do you think they're gonna do in there?"

I nearly screamed at the sudden voice in my ear. I spun around to find a young boy beside me, his blonde hair plastered to his face from the rain. He had inquisitive, brown eyes that shown with anticipation as he watched the figure. The boy was dressed  
as an 1800's, British detective. Sherlock Holmes.

"Who are you?"

He ignored the question and instead answered with another question, his British accent matching his costume. "Do you believe that is even the same person? They looks nothing like they did a few moments ago."

"Who the heck are you?" I demanded again.

He finally looked at me, tearing his attention off of the figure. "Me?"

"No. The bat flying above your head. Of course you! What are you doing following me around?"

"Which question would you like me to answer first?"

"Just answer the freakin questions!"

The boy shrugged. "My name is Magnus. I have been trailing you while you have been trailing this other person though I do wonder why. It does not seem like they have done anything to arouse any suspicion. Many people go to the Ghost Pub at night."

"I have my reasons." I said slowly, trying my best to figure out what was going on. "Why were you trailing me?"

"Ah, yes, well..." he hesitated for a moment, shifting from one foot to the other as he struggled to form an answer, "I had orders to follow the 'brooding, dark haired girl'. I assumed that was you since there were only two people on this street and the  
other was a frantic looking brunette."

"Orders from who? Who would want me followed?" My mind immediately went to Colton though I knew that wasn't possible. He and Isis were both locked behind bars with tight security for the rest of their lives.

Magnus shrugged. "I don't know. I assumed it was just for fun. See, I was at the convention down the street and someone asked if I wanted to try my hand at some real detective work. Of course I couldn't pass the opportunity up."

"Well that would explain the costume."

The boy beamed. "When Carly talked me into coming to the convention with her, I never imagined I would get to do some live-action role playing! This is brilliant!"

"You're not doing a very good job of it."

His face fell.

"For one, you should never make yourself known to the person you're tailing. Secondly, you are way too quick to give away information. If this were a real investigation, you'd probably be dead."

"Blast it! You're right. Perhaps I need a bit more practice."

"You think." I muttered, turning my attention back to the pub. The figure had already entered. I wished I knew how long they would be in there. If they didn't come out soon, I would have to follow them in, and I was really hoping it wouldn't come to that.  
"Look, Magnus, was it? Go back to the convention. Tell them I gave you a six out of ten. Good job, buddy."

"But I have not finished my task yet. I was meant to find out what it was you were after."

"Information."

"What sort of information?"

"Top secret."

His eyes were the size of bowling balls. "I am sure that this is not real, but it is still most exciting."

"I'm sure it is. Now run back to the convention. I have some work to do."

"Of course, of course." He tipped his head in my direction and politely said goodbye before strolling back off in the direction of the large theater.

I watched the boy enter through the large doors, as suspicion crept its way through my mind. Sure his story was believable. I knew for a fact that there was a cosplay convention happening there tonight, Dixie had tried to get me to go. She thought it  
would be amusing to go as our prospective Disney characters since we knew them as well anyone ever could. I had quickly refused. I'd had enough fairytales to last me a lifetime. But who would send that boy out to follow me? I doubted anyone in there  
knew who I was or that I was even out here. There was just something about the situation that didn't feel right. Besides that, he had looked familiar. I couldn't place who it was, but he had definitely reminded me of someone.

Shaking my head clear of those protruding thoughts, I turned my attention back to the pub. It didn't appear that the figure would be emerging any time soon. Which meant I would have to enter the pub myself. I had really been hoping to avoid that, since  
I knew several of the regular attendants. They liked to use me as punching bag whenever we ran into each other, and although I was fine at standing up for myself and holding my own, I wasn't keen on the idea of purposefully meeting them. But it seemed  
as though I had no choice. I had to find out what that person knew about August's mother. I wasn't about to give up.

Stealing my nerves, I picked myself up and left the sanctuary of the shadows, striding confidently toward the entrance. I decided this wasn't any worse than facing any of the poison monkeys or the hungry big bad wolf. I could handle this. At least that's  
what I thought, until I stepped into the small, cramped building. The smell of cigarette smoke and liquor immediately flooded my nose and the constant noise of people shouting at each other filled my ears, overloading my senses. I nearly backed out  
right then, but instead took a deep, calming breath and looked around the room. The sea of faces was not easy to comb through, especially as several of the people had gotten into a fight and there was a crowd gathering to watch it unfold.

My eyes finally landed on a familiar, cloaked figure and I began making my way toward them. I threw the hood of my cape up over my head to conceal my face as I took a seat at the table across from theirs. The person, who I could now clearly see was a  
woman - just as Magnus had said - was speaking with a man that I did not recognize in hurried whispers. It was difficult to hear them over the sound of the bar fight. I kept my head low and stared into the coffee that I had ordered from a passing  
bartender.

"I simply do not want any harm to come to him." The lady's voice sounded as if she'd been crying. "He's been through so much already."

"It's too late now to be making deals, Miss." The man said. "You should have done your bargaining when you first signed on."

"I did not know then that you were planning on dragging my boy into this. If I had known that, I never would have agreed to any of this. What my sisters do is none of my concern."

"It is now. You're in too deep to back out. Your sister will have your head. Isis has failed her part and now it is up to you to right her wrongs."

"I told you, I don't care what my sister does. She can't hurt me. As for Isis, she deserved what she got."

"Are you sure about that?"

The woman hesitated. "Iris may be powerful amongst her people, but I am not one who will willing bow down to her commands. If she wishes for me to continue helping her with this endeavor, she will need to change things around so that the boy is no longer  
involved. That is the only way I will grant her my assistance."

The man sneered. "You will regret this. Believe me when I tell you that Iris will not take this news well. She only used your son to lure you into helping in the first place. Now that the cards are changing she will not be pleased at all."

"Most people may be afraid of my sister, but I am not. And you can tell her as much."

"Trust me, Sam, I will."

I made sure to keep my face down and hidden as the man stood to leave. The two of them said a quick goodbye and then the man shoved his way through the crowd and back out the entrance. Sam, which must have been the lady's name, remained at the table.  
I heard several deep sighs escape her lips, as if she were holding the weight of the world in her hands.

"I am deeply sorry, my son. It is my fault you are trapped in this mess."

Taking a quick scan of the room to make sure that the man was truly gone, I slowly stood and approached the distressed woman. If they were talking about the same Isis that had managed to curse me, then Sam and I had a lot to talk about. I sank down into  
the vacant seat across the table from her, though she hadn't noticed me yet. Her head was in her hands and she seemed to be crying.

"Excuse me?" I spoke quietly so as not to startle her.

It didn't work.

The woman's head shot up and her startled gaze met mine. "Who are you?"

"I find names to be unimportant." I shrugged. "Besides, it is not me you need to be concerned with."

Sam gave me a suspicious look. She didn't trust me and I couldn't blame her. After a conversation like that, and not knowing who I was, trust wasn't something I expected.

"There's something I need to ask you...and it involves Isis."

"How do you know Isis?"

I shook my head. "That's not important."

"Yes it is."

"Let's just say that Isis and I have a history together, and it's not a very pleasant one either." I said, rolling my eyes. "Look, here's the thing, I don't really care about this deal that you seem to have gotten yourself into, or even how it relates  
to Isis. All I care about is finding some information on a person that I have reason to believe was taken or used by Isis in some way. A person that's very near and dear to a close friend of mine."

"And who is this person?" Sam was still skeptical, though she seemed willing to hear me out.

I sighed. "To be completely honest, I'm not sure what her name is. All I know is that she's August's mother. I'm not even sure if he knows her name."

Sam's face lit up in what could only be pure shock and recognition, but it was gone so quickly that I thought I'd imagined it. She thought about it for a minute before answering. "That doesn't do much to lower the options. Isis has conned and used a lot  
of people in her lifetime. However, I might know a place where you can start your search."

I looked up at her in surprise. "Seriously?"

She nodded. "It's a record book where Isis keeps track of all the people she's ever cursed. I can't say for sure whoever you're looking for is in it, but at least it's a place to start."

There was an extended moment of awkward silence after that. I couldn't help but wonder why this woman was so eager to help me. Clearly she knew Isis on some level, well enough to know about this supposed book. So why would she sell her out? It didn't  
make much sense.

"Why are you helping me?" I asked slowly. "I mean, I was expecting a bit more of a fight from you and no where near as much information."

Sam closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Just as you said earlier, Isis and I have a history. One that is not very pleasant. Now that she has been successfully placed behind bars with her brother, there is no more need to hide all of her secrets.  
Although," she suddenly became very quiet, leaning in close to whisper to me as she scanned the room, searching for any potential eavesdroppers, "there is one other who you must watch out for. Her name is Iris."

"You're sister?"

Sam flinched when I mentioned their relation. "Yes, unfortunately we are blood sisters. Though I do prefer not to associate myself with her in public. Isis and Colton may have been vile and cruel, but Iris has so conscious. She will not hesitate to kill,  
unlike Isis. Isis enjoyed tricking people and messing with their heads, but she wasn't a killer. Their names may be incredibly similar but they are two very different people."

"What does this Iris person have to do with me?" I asked with a frown.

"Iris is also in search of the book. It seems as though there is a specific name she is after."

"Do you know who it is?"

Sam shook her head. "I do not know the name. If I did, Iris would not be searching even now. I do know that it is the name of a young girl. The girl who's said to have put Isis and Colton behind bars."

 _Wait, was she talking about me?_

"It is said that this girl is extremely powerful, and Iris will stop at nothing to find her."

I had to bite down a snort. Was she serious? There was no way that could be me. I wasn't at all 'powerful'. It was by sheer dumb luck that we managed to escape the curse, let along destroy it. Alfie had died during the process. What could this Iris person  
possibly want with me anyway?

Sam seemed reluctant to spare any more information and I didn't push her. She had helped enough. She gave me a place to start, and that was more than I could have asked for. I thanked her for her the help and then started to leave. I hadn't reached yet  
though when I heard a familiar voice say my name.

"Hello, Taryn. It's been a while."

I sighed. The voice belonged to none other than Brutus Hammons, one of the jerks who like to beat me up. This wasn't going to end well.

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 **Review! :)**


	3. Chapter 2

"Where do you think you're going?" Brutus sneered. "You just got here. Stay a while."

"I'd rather not."

"What's the matter, Taryn? Scared?" Behind him, I saw two burly men like Brutus, Matt and Brock, snickering.

"Not in the slightest. I just don't have time to waist on losers like you."

The two goons behind Brutus stared at me with wide eyes and inhaled sharply. Apparently, not many people were willing to stand up to Brutus like that. He didn't scare me though...much.

"Excuse me?" Brutus scoffed. "What was it you just called me?"

"Aw, does the little loser need hearing aids?" I mocked. "I think you heard me, Butt-head."

Brutus was fuming. His entire face had become red with anger and his breathing was becoming heavier. Maybe August was right, I really did need to learn when to keep my mouth shut. "How dare you disrespect me like that!"

"I'm sorry. Did I hurt your feelings? Allow me to make it up to you." I grabbed a glass of whiskey off the nearest table and threw the liquid in his face. I was tired of being pushed around by this over-grown bully. August had warned me not to make any enemies and to keep a low profile, but screw it all. I wasn't going to take this anymore. "That ought to teach you not to mess with me anymore. You may enjoy using me as a punching bag, but you will regret it if it continues."

"Yeah? And what is a scrawny thing like you gonna do about it?" He took a threatening step forward and it took everything in me not to retreat. He was at least a foot taller, and looming over me like that brought back memories from my past that I'd worked so hard to bury.

"She may not be able to take you, but she's not alone."

I didn't dare to take my attention off of Brutus. He was known for striking when one's back was turned. The voice sounded vaguely familiar though. That accent...but who was it? My mind wasn't exactly focused at that moment, okay? Don't judge me.

"Who's this punk?" Brutus turned to the two behind him but they only shrugged in response, looking as baffled as the rest of us.

"Pardon my rudeness."

I groaned once I finally recognized the voice. What was he doing back here? Now I'd have to get us both out of this mess. Preferably without tangling with Brutus and his gang.

"My name is Magnus. I do not feel as if my full name is needed, since it seems there is a fight quickly approaching and you will soon not be able to remember it."

This time I did to look at the boy, dumbfounded. How could he stand there in front of Brutus, Matt and Brock and sound so sure of himself. There was no way he could take on all three. Not to mention that he'd basically said I was too weak to take them on myself. Although it was true, I still found myself trying to contain my anger.

Brutus just laughed. "Do you really want to try your luck? Be my guest. Heck, I'll even have Matt and Brock stand down for the fight. Just to even out the odds a little."

The two goons pouted at their rotten luck, they weren't keen on the idea of sitting out a fight, but they dutifully backed away.

Magnus shook his head. "That would just take all the fun out of this little squabble. If it is a fight you are looking for, at least give me a bit of a challenge."

It was my turn to laugh. "You're kidding right? You can't take on all three by yourself! What are you even doing here? I told you to go back to the convention."

Magnus shrugged. "Something just didn't seem right about the situation. First off, you were far too cryptic for a simple cos-con role-play. Secondly, the one who had me follow you didn't seem at all pleased that I had brought back hardly any information at all. After that, they left the party entirely and I haven't seen them since."

I frowned. Who would possibly want me followed? Who wanted what information about me? None of this made any sense.

"Are you two done yet? Brock is getting bored." Brutus brought our attention back onto the gang.

As I turned back to the bully, I caught a glimpse of someone watching us from the window. It was still raining outside, but it didn't seem to bother whoever was out there. They also did nothing to conceal the fact that they were clearly watching me. My mind began to race. We had to leave. Now. Suddenly Brutus and his goons didn't seem nearly as intimidating or important.

"Sorry boys," I grabbed Magnus' hand and pushed past the three gang members. They were so shocked they did nothing to stop us. "I'm afraid something else has come up and we will have to postpone the beating for a later day. Please accept my deepest apologizes."

We didn't stick around to hear their response. I dragged Magnus through the pub and into the back employees room. I knew there was a door back there somewhere. There had to be. An emergency exit. Anything.

"I beg your pardon, but where are we going?"

"I'm getting you out of here." I said.

"Wonderful. Are we returning to the convention then?"

"You are."

"So you aren't from the convention." He looked proud. "I was right!"

"Perhaps you do make a fairly good Sherlock Holmes." I smiled.

Magnus grinned.

We made it out the back door and halfway back to the convention before I noticed the stranger from the window earlier, following us. I didn't mention anything to Magnus. I wasn't sure how long his bravery would hold out and I really didn't want to find out. The last thing I needed was a grown man freaking out.

"Ah, my brother would have loved this." His voice and expression were wistful, as if his brother was no longer with him.

"Your brother?" I shot another glance behind us. Our pursuer was gaining. It wouldn't be long before he caught us. I had to get Magnus back the convention before that happened.

"Yes. He used to love this kind of thing. Of course, he preferred to watch as someone else played the role. He was not one to be known for his bravery." Magnus chuckled at the memories of his brother. "Unfortunately, my dear brother has been MIA for quite some time now. Mother believes him to have run away to join the military, just as my father had, but I do not believe so. Alfie was far to meek for that. He simply did not have the stomach for war. Anyone who spent more than five minutes with him would know that. I think Mother just tries to make herself feel better about his disappearance by creating these stories since no one has been able to locate him."

I froze, slowly turning to look at the odd, British boy.

Magnus frowned. "Are you alright? It appears as though something has begun to trouble you?"

"You don't say," I breathed.

The blonde hair, the innocent wide-eyed look, the British accent...how had I not pieced it together earlier.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost." My thoughts were forced back into reality as our stalker appeared behind me. I cringed at my own stupidity for letting us get caught as I slowly turned to face the new intruder. I was met with an impish grin and mischievous storm grey eyes. The boy cocked his head as he looked down at me since he was at least a foot taller.

"Are you Taryn Bauer? The girl everyone keeps talking about?"

"What's it to you?"

The boy held up his hands in innocence. "I was simply asking. I mean to do you no harm. My only intention was to talk."

"Oh I'm sure." I rolled my eyes in irritation. "Everyone stalks the people they want to talk to from the shadows. Coming right out and introducing yourself has become far too old fashioned."

His grin widened. "You catch on quick. So are you Taryn Bauer? Or aren't you?"

Before I could answer, Magnus stepped in. I tried to tell him to back off, that I could handle this, but he wouldn't listen.

"I am sorry, but where I come from, a man can not just sit by while watching a lady be harassed and do nothing." He faced his new threat boldly. There was no way this was my Alfie's brother. That kid had no backbone at all, but Magnus didn't seem to be deterred by anything. The new guy stood watching with amusement. "I'm afraid I am going to have to ask you to leave this young lady alone."

"Is that so?" The grin never left the boy's lips.

"It is. If you would be so kind as to leave, we can avoid any unnecessary injuries."

The boy laughed. "You can't be August? I heard he was overly protective of his girlfriend, but you two hardly look the perfect couple."

I quickly shook my ahead, horrified that he thought this guy was my boyfriend. "There's no way he's my boyfriend!"

"I most certainly am not this August. I do not even know of anyone by that name. What a silly name. Who in their right mind would name their child after a season?"

"Magnus-" I tried to cut in but the new guy interrupted.

"Magnus? Is that your name? Now that suits you much better."

Magnus looked taken aback by what he must have assumed was a complement. "Why thank you. However, I must insist you leave this young lady alone."

"You know," the boy put a hand to his chin as if in deep thought, "I can't help but notice that you haven't used her name once. Do you even know this girl?" When Magnus hesitated, he knew he'd gotten it right. "Why are you so keen on standing up for someone you don't even know?"

"It's a little thing we like to call, chivalry. Though it appears you have none yourself." Magnus replied hotly.

"How very noble of you, but you see, I've come to speak to the girl. Yet all I've seemed to accomplish is an argument with you that I seem to be losing. So if you don't mind, I'll just finish my business with the girl, and then I shall be on my merry way."

Magnus looked skeptical but he didn't fight it. The boy nodded and quickly stepped around Magnus so that he was once again facing me. I was too weirded out by the whole situation that I didn't even think to retreat a few steps as the boy was standing far too close for comfort.

"Are you Taryn Bauer? The girl who broke the curse between the Bauer and Ingramen families? The girl who put both Isis and Colton behind bars? The girl who not only destroyed her family's curse, but also escaped the fairytale curse she was confined to for an entire year?"

Seriously, how did people keep knowing about that? I hadn't told anyone. None of us had. We all had agreed that it was for the best if we just kept certain past experiences to ourselves. I mean, people already thought I was crazy. They didn't need any more proof that I was.

I took a deep breath before answering. "I am."

The boy nodded but didn't smile this time. "Don't ask questions, don't even acknowledge that I was here. If they ever found out I was talking to you, I'd be a dead man walking."

I raised a questioning eyebrow. What was he going on about? Of course, if he was somehow tangled in with Isis and Colton, that explained a lot. She tended to attract some very strange people.

"There are people looking for you. Dangerous people. If you thought Isis and Colton were rough to deal with, you have no idea what's coming. Look, if I can find you this easily, it won't be long before they do too."

"Who is 'they'? Who's after me?"

He didn't answer my question which only heated my temper. "Isis may have had powerful magic, but their magic is doubled that in power. Your only chance to beat them lies within the curse."

"Shut up for just a second." I stopped him before he could keep talking. "If this person is as dangerous as you say," he nodded, "then why are you supposedly risking everything to tell me? And another thing, in case you got the story wrong, I destroyed the curse. It's no more. Poof. Gone. Whatever it was that you needed in there can't be found."

The boy shook his head. "You escaped the curse which is all well and good, in fact I applaud you and your abilities to do so, but it's not destroyed. Only an act of magic can completely destroy it, and since you seem to lack any sort of magic abilities, and I'm sure Isis didn't do it for you, the curse is still very much alive. They only problem is finding it."

No. He had to be lying. The curse was broken. August and I had destroyed it. Hadn't we? Thinking back on it, there wasn't a time I remembered that actually proved we did destroy the curse. Sure we'd escaped it and forced Isis and Colton back out with us, but had we truly destroyed it for good?

"So why exactly do you need my help? If the curse is still living as you say, why don't you just go and get whatever it is you need. There is no way you'll ever make me go back there." I paused and shot a glance at Magnus who seemed to be completely oblivious to what we were talking about. "I lost a very good friend there. I'm not willing to risk that again."

The boy sighed as if he were expecting this argument from me and was hoping to have avoided it. "Because we're all trapped, Taryn. You may have escaped the curse and returned most of the character's memories, but that doesn't mean we're all free. Some of us weren't as lucky as others." He gave me a pointed stare, referring to my escape. "You're our only hope of ever having a real life again. Right now, we're all tied to a single leader. A leader who'd rather see us all dead than release us. They treat us like animals, with absolutely no respect for us as human beings."

"So wait, you're telling me that you're one of the characters from the curse?"

He nodded.

Wow...how had I not picked up on that before? I was losing it. Of course he was a character. It only made sense. That's how he knew so much about what happened. Just when I thought I had finally put all of the magic and stupid fairytales behind me, it came crashing back in like a bad dream. Hey! It's the Sanity Hotline. Just calling in reference to the fact that you were becoming too sane with a normal life. We've subscribed a double dose of crazy that'll fix that right up for you.

"We need your help, Taryn." Any trace of his previous smirk had been forgotten. His eyes pleaded with mine in a desperate attempt to gain my help. "Set us all free. Bring us back home."


	4. Chapter 3

I made a rash decision to trust the strange boy from the curse. I felt a certain obligation to help, something that I knew August wouldn't understand. So I made another hasty decision then not to tell him about this. I would help the strange boy with his problem, and then I would return home before anyone could even miss me. Sounded like a good plan to me.

After I agreed to help, we dropped Magnus back off at the convention where we knew he'd be safe for now, and then the boy led me back into the alleyways, heading in the opposite direction of the pub.

The night was eerily still as we trudged along in silence. In a desperate attempt the kill the awkward silence, I tried to make conversation, but the boy wasn't having it.

"I've chosen to help you and I don't even know your name." I prompted with a slight nudge of my shoulder.

I waited for a reply but none came.

"Oh come on, at least tell me your name. Then I won't have to keep calling you 'the boy from the curse', or I'll start making up my own names for you."

The boy didn't respond, but he did turn and raise an eyebrow at me.

I shrugged. "I need to be able to call you something. How about Herman?"

He wrinkled his nose and shook his head. Now I was convinced his silence was simply to annoy me.

"Alright-y then, what about Freddy? I like that name. I had a goldfish named Freddy once. He died three days after I got him."

His look of 'are you kidding me?' eliminated that option.

"Ugh! You are so picky! If you're gonna be that particular about it, why don't you just tell me your real name?"

Nothing.

"You really are gonna refuse to talk to me then." I sighed. "Well fine, whatever. See if I care. But I still need to come up with some sort of a name. Calling you 'the boy from the curse' all the time just takes way too much time."

His smirk had returned. "If I told you my name, I would have to kill you."

"Oh I'm sure."

He scoffed. "If you knew my name, you might not be so willing to help."

"Yeah? And why is that?"

He didn't respond, but his comment made me stop and think. Was this really the best idea? I mean, the guy wouldn't even tell me his name. How was I supposed to trust that? He didn't seem threatening, but then again, neither did many of the other characters I'd met in the curse before they'd tried to kill me. I slowed and fell into pace behind the boy, keeping a weary eye on him. Suddenly, I didn't trust him as much.

After a moment, he rolled his eyes, groaned and turned to face me, walking backwards in front of me. "Look, you don't have to be scared of me. I'm not going to hurt you."

"How should I know? I know absolutely nothing about you. If the curse taught me anything, it was to be careful around people like you."

His eyes flashed with something...something familiar, but I couldn't place it. "It's best if you don't know exactly who I am, for your own good. Friends call me Chord. Though please, feel free to use any name you wish."

"Her-"

"Except for that. Anything, but that."

I scoffed. "Fine then. Chord it is I suppose."

He smiled gratefully.

"I still think you look like a Herman."

Herman (sorry Chord) and I wove our way through the back streets. He said it would be best to avoid any contact with another person. When I asked him why, he just replied with, "Most people don't even know they're doing her bidding. She manipulates people's minds."

He eyed each building that we past with suspicion, like he assumed there was an agent behind every door, ready to attack. I let the subject drop after that. It didn't appear that I would be getting anymore answers out of him, especially not out in the streets.

"Where exactly are we going?"

"To look for a book." Chord said.

I laughed. "A book? Seriously, that's it? I thought it would be at least a little more exciting than that."

"Oh believe me, it will be plenty exciting once we find it." He suddenly looked overly determined and his pace quickened. "We are going to find the book no matter what. Even if we have to turn that place inside out and completely destroy it, we will find it."

It was about an hour later before I started recognizing our surroundings. We were nearing the place Isis once called home. My nerves shot up and my palms started sweating as I noticed we were marching straight for her house. Now, I know the place was abandoned. No one lived there anymore. There was no danger left. I just couldn't suppress the fear that was slowly creeping its way out into the open.

Once we reached the front of the house, Chord didn't hesitate and immediately walked right in. I stayed outside on the curb, watching the house anxiously. What was wrong with me? I had endured the curse and everything it had thrown at me without completely losing my mind, and now I couldn't even enter a stupid house? Shut up. Don't even think about saying anything. I dare you to go through all of that and not come out of it a little jumpy.

"Are you coming?" Chord's head popped out of the open doorway, searching for me.

"I'm not so sure this is such a good idea." I managed to choke out.

Chord rolled his eyes and disappeared back into the house. His voice carried out into the street. "Stop being such a wuss and get your butt in here."

I debated turning around and running back to the safety of my own apartment, but my pride wouldn't let me. These people were counting on me and I wouldn't let them see me as a coward. So I steeled my nerves, shuffled up to the front porch, held my breath, closed my eyes and forced myself across the threshold.

"You can open your eyes now." His voice appeared beside me, sounding most unamused.

"Thanks but no thanks. I think I'll just keep them closed for now. The darkness is so comforting."

"Wow, emo much?"

"Shut up." When I finally opened my eyes, Chord had a satisfied smirk on his face, like he'd been trying to get under my skin all along.

"Come on, the book is in here."

He led me through the kitchen and down the hall to the last door on the left. At one point, the room might have been a study. There was a single desk, a couple filing cabinets and mountains upon mountains of books. Now, the room just looked like a mess. Books were strewn everywhere, the desk had been overturned and the chair was broken. It looked like an eight foot giant had stomped through searching for something. Whether they found it or not was beyond me. You couldn't tell anything in this mess.

Chord groaned when he saw the state of the room.

"It looks like someone's already taken the liberty of tearing the room apart. Think they found whatever it was they were looking for?"

"I can only hope they didn't."

"Well that's a bit rude, don't you think? I mean, you were planning to do the exact same thing to the room."

He shook his head. "They were looking for the same thing we are."

"Mhmm," I rolled my eyes, "and how do you figure that one?"

He turned to me with a solemn stare. "Because we're looking for Isis' book of curses."

All I could manage to do was stare at him in shock.

"Let's just hope for our sake that whoever made this mess, didn't find it."

* * *

 **Sorry this chapter is a bit short, and it's taken me forever to get it up. Hopefully y'all enjoy it though. Writing the first part was incredible and I wanted to continue Taryn's story so here we are lol I only hope that you enjoy it as much as I do :)**


	5. Chapter 4

I still wasn't sure what we were supposed to be looking for. 'A book' was a pretty vague description, considering we were surrounded by piles upon piles of books.

"So are you going to tell me anything useful to help me find this thing? Or are we just going to continue searching until our brains melt from boredom?"

Chord sighed and threw another book aside. "I would give you more information on the book, except I don't have any. I've never actually seen it, so I have no idea what it looks like. All I know is that it's a leather bound book that's filled from cover to cover with Isis' handwriting."

"No problem then. All the books here are leather bound, which lowers our options down to...everything! So we have no idea what we're looking for. Perfect." His words caught me though. Could he be looking for the same book that the woman had mentioned earlier? Was it possible that we were in search of the same thing? If it was, that just made my life a whole lot easier. I could kill two birds with one stone. Help this guy and all the other characters out, and find August's mother. Win win.

He didn't respond. It seemed he was about to reach his limit too.

"Alright, this is insane. Whatever this book is, it's not here. We've gone over every stupid book at least twice and we have yet to find anything that was handwritten. Which means whoever ransacked this place must have gotten to it first." I pushed myself up from my position on the floor and carefully stepped over to the overturned desk where Chord was sitting crosslegged on the floor. "Give it up, Chord. It's time to start looking for some clues or anything that might tell us where this person went or even who they were. The book isn't here and if you really need it that badly, we'll have to go out there and find it."

"I was really hoping it wouldn't come to that."

I rolled my eyes. "Come on," I offered my hand to help him up, "Don't be such a baby. We're in this together, right?"

Reluctantly, Chord nodded and accepted my outstretched hand. I pulled him to his feet and together we righted the overturned desk in order to allow us a clear path out of the room.

"There. See? We're already making progress." I grinned.

He shook his head. "All we've done is make the place look worse than it was before."

"Not true," I quickly countered, "we fixed the desk. That's something isn't it?"

"More than we think." Chord suddenly said, racing around the backside of the desk. He pulled out a hidden drawer that must have come loose when the desk was thrown down. Carefully, he lifted a small leather bound journal out of the drawer. He turned and smiled triumphantly at me. "This is it, Taryn. We've found it. Isis' book of curses."

"We found the book," I prodded, "now what?"

After Chord had found the book, we took it out into the kitchen where we could sit down and go over it. He had been sitting there staring at the cover of the book for the past fifteen minutes.

"Shouldn't we at least open it and see what's inside? I mean, we already know that it's a book of spells. Aren't you the least bit curious? Besides, I thought you said we needed the information in order to break the curse."

Chord shook his head. "I can't."

"Can't what?"

"Open it. I can't open the-" He trailed off.

"The what? The book?" I was confused. "Why can't you? Here, let me."

I went to grab the book but he quickly snatched it away. "No!"

I threw my hands up in frustration. "What is wrong with you? First you make me go looking for a needle in a hay stack, wasting four hours of my life and now you won't even open it? You have a problem."

"This doesn't feel right." He spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. "Something's wrong. This was a bad idea." Shaking his head, he stuffed the book into the bag he had found in the study and got up from his chair.

"Now where are you going?" I called after him as he shuffled toward the door.

"Home. And I suggest you do the same."

"Excuse me?" I jumped up from my chair and raced across the room to block his exit. "I don't think so. You dragged me all the way here to find that stupid thing and I'm going to open it, no matter what you say."

"Well the book is in my bag, so it looks like you're out of luck, Princess."

"Don't call me that." I growled.

He shrugged. "That's what you are, right? A princess. After-all, it was you who played all the parts in the fairytale curse."

"What has gotten into you?" I didn't like this new Chord. He was frightening and intimidating and nothing like the boy I knew.

"I've changed my mind, I don't want your help. Just go and run home to your precious prince." The glint in his eyes was so familiar, yet I couldn't place it. Something was off. Something was definitely off.

I crossed my arms and held my ground. "Not on my watch. I helped to find the book. I wasted four hours of my life that I'll never get back trying to find it. I want to find out what's in it and you're not going to stop me."

"Yeah?"

I nodded firmly. Who did this guy think he was? If he thought he could just push me around like this, he had another thing coming.

"And what's a little girl like you gonna do about it?"

"Look, you over grown weasel, if you really are a character from the curse, chances are I've already whooped your butt once, and I can do it again."

Chord scoffed but his gaze softened a bit. "You're as indignant as ever. How August stands to be with you all the time, I will never understand."

I smirked. "He calls it charming."

"I'm sure he does."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I challenged.

He actually laughed. "I'm just saying, the boy has always had a bit of a flair for being an overly cheesy romantic. I'm amazed the two of you even made it out of that curse, with your temper and his...well, his lack of intelligence. It doesn't seem at all plausible."

My eyes narrowed at the boy towering over me. "Believe it or not, we make a pretty good team. But we weren't alone either."

"Ah, yes. The fairy and the idiot British boy."

At the mention of Alfie, my temper heated to a boil. "Don't you dare say anything bad about Alfie. He was an honorable, brave and true friend. I will not have you tainting his memory with your ugly words."

Chord looked taken aback by my sudden outburst. "I didn't mean to offend you. I'm sorry."

"The next time I hear you speaking about him with anything other than honor, you will be finding yourself working alone on this." I threatened.

He shook his head with a bit of a smile appearing on his lips. "You are nothing if not loyal, Taryn Bauer. I used to think that Isis was exaggerating whenever she spoke of you and your friends. She made you sound like some sort of saint when it came to loyalty. I assumed she was being dramatic, making it all up as Isis often does. It appears I was wrong. She was right to fear you. It is not often you find someone so willing to stick up for their friends, even after death."

It was my turn to be taken aback. Was that a compliment? Was he actually being nice to me?

"Let's just get back to the business at hand, shall we?" I quickly changed the subject, reverting the line of conversation off of me. "We have to find out what that book says, and you know it." Before he could interrupt me, I hurried on. "I don't know what you're so freaked out about all of a sudden, or what it is you're not telling me, but either way, we have to open it. If you really don't want to, then I will."

I reached for the bag and this time, he didn't try to stop me. My hands locked around the small journal and I quickly pulled it out.

"Before you do anything, Princess, I need to tell you something." He led me back into the kitchen and we returned to our positions by the kitchen table. "There's a rumor, that there are actually two books."

"You mean two of these books?" I tapped the book lying on the table between us.

He nodded.

"It's said that the two are identical with no real way to tell the difference. Only Isis knows which is which. One of the books is indeed her spell book, but the other is a trap. A trap set for anyone who might be in search of the spell book."

"And what does this trap do, exactly?" I was getting a bad feeling about this.

"Rumor has it that the fake book will send you immediately back into the curse."

"Wait, you're serious? Please tell me you are not serious." He shook his head and I closed my eyes, trying to keep what little composure I had left. "I can't believe this. There is no way I'm risking that. I refuse to go back there. Our deal was that I would help you find the book, there was nothing in the agreement about actually going back."

"Princess, listen. Even if this was the real book, we would still have to find a way back into the curse. It's the only way to break the bind that holds us all to it."

"You have got to be kidding me. This isn't happening." My hands began shaking simply at the thought of returning to the curse. I couldn't imagine what I would do if I ever had to actually enter it again. "So why did you freak out back there. What was that all about?"

He sighed. "I panicked. I figured you wouldn't want to help me if you found out we would actually have to enter the curse again. If this is the fake, then we'd be sucked in as soon as the cover was opened. I didn't want to risk it. You helped me find the book. You played your part. I'm not going to make you go back in there if you don't want to."

"Nobody in there right mind would _want_ to." I said.

"I won't blame you if you walk out now." Chord said. "You helped me find the book and for that I am grateful. Although I would not stop you if you agreed to come along. I honestly do believe that you will play a major role in destroying the curse."

I groaned and racked a hand through my hair in frustration. "I hate you. I hope you know that."

Chord grinned.

"But I also found myself searching for this book before I met you so I suppose I don't have much of a choice. Let's just get this over with, shall we?"

Taking a deep breath, together we opened the book. At first nothing happened. The only thing on the first page was in neat script,

Isis's book of curses

November 29, 05

"She really isn't very bright is she." Chord mentioned as he looked at the way she'd written her own name.

"Isis is what you call 'simple-minded'. She's easily confused and thinks that squirrels are terrifying creatures."

Chord started to laugh until he saw that I was completely serious.

I went to turn the page but as I did, the book began to shake. It started slowly but quickly became more violent, rattling across the table. I snapped my hand back and stared at the book in shock.

"What's it doing?"

"I'm not sure," Chord whispered.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't books supposed to immobile, inanimate...not jumping around a table like someone just pumped twenty cans of pepsi down it's pages?"

"I thought I remembered someone telling me once that books were lifeless. Unable to move on their own. Apparently, they were wrong. We've been fed lies our entire lives."

"Fantastic. I've always wanted a pet. Do you think books are easier to keep than dogs? How much do they eat?"

Chord looked at me with a bewildered expression. "Do you always joke around like this whenever there's a chance of danger?"

I shrugged. "Helps calm the nerves."

"Fair enough."

We watched as the book jumped around the table for a few minutes before I broke the silence.

"So do you think it's planning on stopping soon, or..."

Chord tentatively reached out and placed a hand on the book, preventing it from moving any further. It jiggled under his hold a few times before becoming dormant once again.

"Alright, that was the weirdest thing I've ever seen." I said.

"Tell me about it. I lived for a solid ten years inside the curse. I've seen my fair share of strange things, but the dancing book? That's new." Chord said, dragging the book closer to us.

A light burst forth from the pages then, forcing Chord and I to turn our faces to keep from blinding ourselves. A strong wind picked up, swirling around and gaining speed until a small tornado had formed over the open book. Chord had taken his hand off the book and rightfully so. The pull from the sudden storm was sweeping every nearby object into the wind tunnel. Vases and dishes, even painting on the walls flew across the room, landing on the book only to sink and disappear into the pages. The book must not have liked our teasing. It had gone on a rampage and was eating everything in sight.

"What's happening?" Chord needed to shout in order to be heard over the noise of the wind and shattering kitchen ware.

"I don't know!" I shouted back. "You're the brains of this operation. You tell me."

"I have a feeling we may have found the fake book with the trap set."

"No!" I shouted back sarcastically. "You think? I never would have guessed."

"Are you ready for this?"

"Seems I don't have a choice." I ducked to avoid a flying dinner plate. "After you."

"Ladies first!"

"Age before beauty."

Chord scowled. "You're mean."

"Get over it. It's now or never so lets move." Without waiting for a reply, I struggled against the wind and clambered up until I was standing on the table. The closer I got the book, the stronger the wind became. It was beginning to drag me in. Every part of my body screamed at me to turn and run but I stubbornly kept my feet planted and allowed the book to take me. If this was how I was supposed to destroy the curse, then so be it. It was time to get rid of this thing once and for all. I could only hope that August wouldn't have my head for doing this. _Wherever you are right now, August. Please don't be mad at me. I have to do this. I have to help these people. I'll be back. I promise._ I didn't allow myself to think on it any further and jumped, letting the book pull me back into the one place I never thought I'd see again.

* * *

 **Thank you so much to everyone who's taken the time to read this story. I really do love Taryn's story. It's by far the story that I've had the most fun writing. I only hope that you enjoy it as much as I do :)**

 **Review!**


	6. Chapter 5

I'll admit that I'm not proud of how I handled the situation. There were plenty of other things I could have done to express my emotions. Perhaps walking away, pretending as if nothing happened, or even sitting down and talking it out, letting everyone know what a sneaky little, no good, slime ball Chord was. Even just slamming my fist into a wall would have sufficed. That is, it would have sufficed under normal circumstances. As it was, these were no ordinary circumstances.

I stood in the middle of a circle of unconscious men. My hands were shaking though I wasn't sure if it was from the adrenaline rush, my raging nerves or my anger. A single drop of blood dripped from my knuckles, splattering on the ground. The noise sounding abnormally loud in the stillness of the room.

Once I had been transported by the book, I had found myself standing in the middle of this tiny room. A warm fire crackled in the small fireplace, warming the chilled air and four men, each dressed in chainmail and armor with a sword strapped to their side, were huddled around a table playing what looked like some sort of card game.

My sudden appearance had startled them, but they quickly leapt into action, surrounding me and demanding to know where I had come from and what I was doing in the castle.

To be perfectly honest, the rest of it was all a bit of a blur. Once I took the time to register that the two-faced, lying weasel wasn't there with me, I allowed my frustration, anger and fear to take control. Before I knew what was happening, I had managed to get my hands on the poker stick for the fireplace and I was now standing amongst four unconscious men.

I let out a cry of frustration and threw the poker across the room. How could I have fallen for such a stupid trick? I should have known better than to trust Chord. Why did I have to be so helplessly stupid?

"There's no use standing around here." I sighed and stepped over the body of one of the knights. Stopping at the door I shook my finger at the ceiling. "But if you think I'm playing by the rules this time, you're in for a rude awakening. I got out of this stupid curse once, I can do it again. But this time, I'm taking everyone else out with me. I won't let you beat me at this game, Isis." And with that, I strode out of the room with a new sense of determination in my step.

I wasn't sure which tale I had landed myself in this time. Not to mention which character I was playing, if I was even playing a character this round. I didn't particularly care though. I was through with playing another's role. It was time for me to play my own role in this story. I wasn't some damsel in distress that needed saving. I was prepared to show Isis just who she was dealing with. I wasn't a princess. I was a warrior, a huntress, and I had my sights set on my target. There wasn't anything she could throw at me that would keep from reaching that target.

The halls were empty. There wasn't a single sign of life anywhere. The castle couldn't be abandoned I decided. There would have been no use for the knights back there if it was. No, there was someone else here. There had to be. And once I found them, I would be able to get some answers.

When I finally found life, it was in the form of two more knights standing guard at a door in the middle of the hall. As I approached, the one drew his sword. Apparently, I appeared about as friendly as I felt.

"State your business here." The knight with the drawn sword demanded.

I caught a glimpse inside the room and what I saw was a bit confusing. "Why are you guys guarding a room full of hay? The poor guy here is clearly allergic." I motioned to the second guard who nose was as bright red as a tomato and he looked about ready to fall over.

"That is none of your concern," the first knight said, "now state your business or I shall be forced to throw you out."

"That wouldn't be very nice," I said, "I'm only looking for someone."

"Who are you looking for?"

I shrugged. "No idea to be honest. Anybody really."

The knights gave each other a confused look and then turned back to me.

I sighed. "Look, I was dropped off here against my will and now I have to find someone who can tell me which fairytale I'm in so I can find a way to escape it, so I can finally go home and kick some rotten kid's butt."

By their confused faces, I guessed they believed me to be completely off my rocker. "Perhaps we should alert the king."

"There is no need. I am here."

I turned and was greeted by a kindly old man, flanked by two more knights. Perhaps in his early seventies, the old man had kind eyes and a pleasant smile. It did not take long for me to feel at ease in his presence.

"I see you have found the peasant's daughter."

"Excuse me?" I cocked an eyebrow at him. "Who are you calling a peasant?"

The knight with the allergies frowned and managed a muffled, "This is the girl?".

The king nodded fervently. "This is the girl known for spinning straw into gold. By morning, if she does her job well, our kingdom shall be twice as rich as it is today."

I groaned, turned and hit my head against the wall a few times, receiving some strange looks and grumbled, "You have got to be kidding me. There is no freaking way I'm going to end up marrying the old coot and trading my first born to some creepy little man. Scratch that, there's no way I'm even having a first born."

Turning to face the king, I got right up in his face as I said, "If you lock me in that room, you can rest assured that there will be no gold for you in the morning."

His smile slowly faded and was replaced with a look of shock and disbelief. "You dare to defy your king?"

I stepped back. "You're not my king. I don't belong in this story. If you want me to respect you like a king, then you're going to have to give me a good reason to do so."

"Throw her in the room!" He ordered his knights in a fit of anger. "Do not let anyone in or out!"

He turned to me then, an unwavering certainty in his eyes. "If there is no gold in there by morning, I will personally see you hanged for your lack of respect."

"Some king you are."

The knights came forward and grabbed both my arms, dragging me back into the room. I resisted but only slightly. The curse was working its magic once more, forcing me to follow along with the story.

"Think on it, young maiden." The king warned as the door was closed. "Gold? Or your life? Which is more important?"

The lock clicked and I lost it. Immediately turning around, I overturned the spinning wheel and threw the stool across the room where it broke against he back wall and fell to the ground in several pieces. Tears clouded my eyes as I sank to the floor. It was all happening again. I still had nightmares about what had happened the last time and now I was being forced to live it all again. I sat there in the middle of the room, on the stone floor, hugging my knees to my chest as I cried. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. This can't be happening.

What had happened to the girl filled with determination and bravery only a few moments ago? Where did the girl go who had single-handedly taken on four knights and won? She had left, leaving behind a broken shell of girl, unable to do much more than shake in fear.

I don't know how long I sat there, but eventually, the door to the room opened slightly and a small man slipped through before closing the door quietly behind him again. He was a short man, no taller than three feet, with a pointed hat, black and green striped stockings and an old tattered brown trench coat. In his hand he held a small stick. I guessed it was some sort of walking cane but I wasn't sure, since he held it in both hands and didn't use it for walking.

The little man ambled his way over to me. His beady black eyes looked me over once, took in the overturned spinning wheel behind me and then looked over to where the stool lay broken in pieces. His little red beard twitched as he wrinkled his nose at me.

"Why are you looking so pathetic there? What is with all the crying?" His little voice was deep and gruff and held no sign of any sort of feelings.

I just stared at him. So, the curse wanted me to play along did it? It wasn't going to happen. I absolutely refused. Maybe it would just give up on me and spit me back out into the real world if I refused to say anything.

"Are you going to speak, girl? Or are you dumb?" The man, who I assumed was Rumplestilskin spat at me.

I just raised an eyebrow and then turned to look out the window.

The little man groaned and stroked his beard once. "Alright then, I will help you in your quest to spin straw into gold, but I will not do it for free. I require a price. What do you have?"

I didn't respond or make any indication that I had even heard him.

Apparently, the story was determined to move on, with or without me. "Aha! I shall take your necklace as payment."

It was then that I noticed the gold piece hanging around my neck. The metal burned like ice against my chest and I gladly took it off. "Whatever," I mumbled and threw the necklace at him.

He caught it swiftly and then went to work, waving his hand over the broken stool, it pieced itself back together. Then he sat down at the wheel and began spinning the straw into gold.

It took him nearly three hours, but when he was finished, not a single strand of straw was left in the room.

"I suppose I should tell you thank you." I said. "At least I will not die tomorrow."

Rumple nodded and then vanished.

When the king finally arrived, the sun was shining brightly through the window, casting the room in a golden glow. The old man's eyes were no longer soft and friendly, but filled with greed at the sight of all the gold.

"You have done well." He motioned to the knights behind him, both different from the night before, and they each dutifully came and took hold of my arms. "Take her to the second room."

As we passed by him, the king leaned in and whispered, "If you value your life, you will transform all the straw to gold once more. Perhaps you shall be worth keeping around, just as your father has promised."

"Not on your life old man."

What I did next was impulsive. I didn't think, I just acted. My knee rammed up into the first knight causing him to double over in pain, releasing my arm as he did. I then used my free hand to punch the second knight in the nose. It all happened within a split second. By the time the king registered what was happening and began shouting orders at his knights, I was already out the door.

I didn't know where I was going, or how I would get out of this tale without actually finishing it, but I had to try. Following the stories and going tale by tale didn't work out so well the last time. I had to find a different way out.

Apparently, the curse had different ideas. I raced down the hall where I came face to face with the largest set of double doors I had ever seen. Thinking they must lead into the throne room, I heaved open one of doors and slipped through, only to find myself inside a room similar to the one I had just left but doubled in size. It was the second room where I was meant to weave the straw into gold.

With a cry of frustration, I left the room and headed left down the hall. I tried another door but ended up in the same room. Every where I turned, I always ended up facing the same room full of straw. It was maddening. It didn't matter how far I went, or which way I turned, there was no exit. The curse was messing with me again, forcing me to play my part. I started to panic, frantically throwing open doors and bolting down narrow hallways, but I always ended up in the same room. I ran until I couldn't run anymore.

"NO!" I slammed my fist into the wall and sank down to the floor, defeated. I couldn't handle this. I wasn't strong enough to do this all again. "Why?" I cried, speaking to no one in particular. "Why did it have to be me? What is it that you want with me?"

"There you are!" The king shouted in triumph, coming up beside me. "How dare you defy your king like that! You will spin that straw into gold or you will face a fate far worse then death."

"Haven't I already?" I said, staring the ground.

The knights came forward and forced me to my feet. I could barely move. My body was no longer responding to me the way it should. I'd lost all will to move and relied on the knights to drag me to the room. They threw me inside and I landed hard on the stone floor. Distantly, I heard the door close behind me.

My entire body shook with an overwhelming fear. The fear that I would have to repeat the horrors of the curse. The fear that I wouldn't make it out. The fear that I was completely alone this time. I had no one, and no way out. Worst of all was the fact that no one even knew I was here. Eventually Dixie and August would realize something was wrong when I didn't show up by the morning, but then what? Both of them believed the curse to be destroyed just like I had. There was no hope. I had lost all hope.

* * *

Isis watched as Taryn became more and more desperate, darting through the corridors of the castle. The small glowing orb cast a eerie glow across the walls of her cell. Colton slept soundly in the corner, unaware of her antics. Her brother had refused to sleep in the bed since the day they had been thrown in the dingy cell, claiming the floor was far more comfortable than 'that bed of nails they call a mattress'.

Isis frowned as she watched Taryn shout in anger and punch the wall. Blood dripped from her knuckles as she dropped to the floor, though Isis doubted she felt anything or was even aware of the fresh wounds.

She had never seen Taryn like this. Every time she had ever seen the dark-haired girl, she had been spunky and sarcastic. Taryn's bravery and loyalty were two qualities that Isis had always secretly admired.

To be perfectly honest, she had never completely understood her family's hatred for the young girl. Alright, so she and her three siblings were the last of the Ingramens, but that wasn't Taryn's fault. Taryn was the last of the Bauer family and yet she didn't seem to blame or hate Isis and her brother for that. Of course, there were plenty of other reasons Taryn hated them, and if anyone had the right to hate, it was Taryn.

She didn't understand her siblings' obsessions with killing the girl either. What would that accomplish? The girl was so much more entertaining alive. That's why she had refused to reveal Taryn's name to her sister, Iris. Her big sister and brother seemed to think that everything that went wrong in their lives was Taryn's fault and they were determined to cast their revenge on her. Isis almost felt bad for the girl.

She watched as the knights threw Taryn into the room filled with straw. Taryn barely moved from the spot where she'd landed. Her eyes no longer held the same, determined, spunky spark they used to. Isis suddenly had a strange urge to help the pitiful girl. She didn't like seeing her like this. It was unnerving. Unnatural.

Why was she even back inside the curse? Isis had assumed the curse had been destroyed. Without a source, the curse didn't have anything to hold it down. It would have faded away as soon as Taryn had left. How was this even possible?

"Finally," Colton said.

Isis jumped and turned to find him watching over her shoulder. His cold eyes held delight at seeing Taryn in such a vulnerable state.

"It seems as though our big sis has done her job well." He chuckled quietly to himself. "She was right in assuming the girl's spirit would be broken if she was forced back inside her fairytales."

"Doesn't that seem a bit cruel?" Isis asked, turning her focus back to the orb.

The little man had returned. Taryn didn't even flinch as he demanded a payment for helping her and snatched the ring off her finger. Her eyes had become lifeless, devoid of any hope. This was all wrong.

"Don't tell me you're losing your nerve, Isis." Colton sneered.

"Not at all. I just don't understand why we have to keep toying with this girl." She motioned to the image before them. "It's no fun if all the life is drained out of her. Can't we pick a new victim? Someone with a bit more to give?"

"Just be patient," Colton reassured her, "she'll come around and then our young miss Taryn will prove to be just as entertaining as she once was."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because your brilliant older sister has something special in store for her. Taryn only thinks she's seen the worst. Just wait until she sees what Iris has waiting for her." Colton was beginning to look excited now. "It will be nothing but pure entertainment for us."

Isis sighed. "I suppose."

"You don't believe me?"

She lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug. "I just don't see how someone so completely devoid of life could possibly be so entertaining," she sighed, "but I suppose I will simply have to wait and see how Iris plans to revive her."

"That's my girl," Colton slapped her back, "hang in there, you'll see."

* * *

 **Ha ha! ok so I'm actually really enjoying Isis' character and where I plan to take her, she's just so gullible and not all that bright sometimes, but at the same time she's incredibly smart so she's a lot of fun to write. Also Iris is going to be fun to write as well since she's a very different villain than Isis ever was! I'm really excited to back writing Taryn's story again and I hope you all are enjoying it just as much :)**


	7. Chapter 6

"What can you offer me this time, girl?"

It was the third time Rumple had decided to show his hairy little face. I knew what was coming, and I didn't like it.

"I have nothing to give." I answered honestly with a shrug. "I shall be hanged in the morning for my lack of skills in spinning straw into gold."

The little man shook head. "There must be something of value you ha-" he froze mid-sentence and turned to me with a malice grin, "something of value you have yet to obtain."

I raised an eyebrow at his cryptic answer, though I already knew perfectly well what he meant.

He straightened up and with an air of finality he said, "I require your first born child, if you are ever to become queen."

I scoffed and hugged my knees closer to my chest in rising anger. "Yeah right. Like I would ever grant you that. Besides, I have absolutely no intentions of marrying that man."

"He is your king. You can not deny him his wishes."

"Yeah? Watch me."

He laughed then, amused with my defiance. "If you believe you can outwit the curse that easily, you will have to rethink your strategy a bit. The Ingramens are not dumb. They will have placed you here for a reason and would not allow such a simple act of revolt to tamper with their plans."

My head shot up and I stared at the little man in shock. "You know this isn't real?"

"What are you talking about?" He looked at me as if I had gone insane.

"What you just said about Isis, you know about that? Do you know what they're planning or why they have me in here again? Do you know why the curse wasn't destroyed in the first place?"

"Uhh," Rumple began backing away slowly, "look, I don't know what you're on about, but I think you need to lie down. Did one of the guards hit you on the head during the last room change?"

"What are you talking about? You just said that the curse couldn't be defeated so easily. What did you mean by that?"

"I think there's something wrong with you, Lady. Perhaps I do not want your first born, for fear that they might end up like you and then I would be trapped in my own nightmare." He shook his head and ambled over to the spinning wheel. "Since you clearly are unable to help yourself, I will spin the last of this straw into gold for you. Once you are released, please find yourself some help. I'm sure someone, somewhere has a cure. Oh! In fact, I know of a highly skilled sorcerer who specializes in healing. Perhaps he will be able to assist you in your quest for a clear mind."

"Now _I'm_ confused. Do you mean you don't remember any of what you just said?"

"Perhaps it was the sheer shock of my payment that drove you to the brink of insanity."

"I am not insane." I insisted.

He snapped his fingers in a sudden epiphany. "I believe I may know a way to relieve you of your temporary spurt of insanity. If losing your child truly will bring you so much despair, than I shall release you of your bond, however it will not come without a price."

"Does it ever?"

"If, in seven days time, you are able to guess my name, then I shall hand your child's life back over to you. If you were to fail however, I will be taking the child."

Seven days? I could have sworn it had only been it it had been a long time since I'd heard the story.

I rubbed my hand across my face. "You idiot, I already know your name."

"Is that so?" He seemed fairly certain I did not. "If you are so sure of yourself, why not take a guess now?"

The strange thing was, suddenly I didn't know his name. My mind became completely blank. No, I take that back. I still knew it, I know I did. It was there in the back of my mind, but I couldn't reach it. The curse was preventing me from ending the tale too soon.

"Well?" He asked impatiently, happily spinning the straw. "Are you going to guess or not?"

I glared at him. "Never mind."

"I thought you knew my name? You sounded so confident before." His smug grin only fueled my anger.

I was so close! So close to ending this tale but the magic of the curse was playing its part well. As stated in the actual fairytale, I would have to wait several days before I would come to learn his name.

I suppose there was a blessing there though. It didn't appear that the curse was going to make me actually marry the king and have the child. For that I was eternally grateful.

"Just shut up and spin the straw already."

He laughed. "Yes milady."

The next morning, the king was overjoyed to find another room filled with gold. It did not take him long to announce our engagement to the entire kingdom after that, and then there was the celebration. Oh boy was there a celebration. There was singing and dancing on every street. Everywhere you turned there were musicians and magicians, acrobats and animal tamers. The entire kingdom was in celebration of the upcoming wedding, and I hated every second of it. The king kept me locked up in my room, occasionally coming in to tell me how happy he was that I was going to be his wife and how rich the kingdom would be. Then he'd leave again with a jolly laugh.

Every night, once the rest of the kingdom had gone to bed, the little man appeared in my room, and every night, I would attempt to guess his name. I tried every fairytale character's name I could think of but nothing worked. I tried desperately to remember how the princess remembered his name in the tale, but I couldn't. If I didn't remember soon, I was doomed to play out this tale forever. I was starting to get a strange de-javu.

The remainder of my time, I was left alone with only my thoughts to keep me company. It was maddening. Between the urgency to remember his name and the fear that still crippled me, I spent most of my time curled up in the corner of the room.

I hadn't moved much at all since the day I was locked in there. On the seventh day, I couldn't even make myself get up and eat. The plate of food that the maid servant brought in everyday lay untouched on the small table by the door.

"This is the most pathetic thing I've ever seen. You'll never accomplish anything by just sitting there."

The sound of Chord's voice snapped me out of my haze and I leapt to my feet. My anger boiling to a new high as I scanned the room for the source of his voice.

"Where are you?" My fists balled into fists at my side.

"Now see, that I can't tell you."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" I spun in a circle, trying to pinpoint his voice.

"I'm not really here."

"I've heard that before." I said, backing up against the wall, suddenly weary of him.

He sighed. "Look, I'm not here to hurt you alright? I'm only here to get your butt moving. This tale was only supposed to last three days and instead you managed to make it stretch for seven. If you don't get it going soon, you'll end up stuck inside this tale forever. I doubt you'd be thrilled with that seeing as how that would require you to actually wed the king."

"Alright-y then smarty pants, enlighten me. How do I get out of this one?"

"You honestly don't remember?" He scoffed. "And here I thought you were supposed to be this powerful person with extraordinary knowledge of the tales."

"Why do people keep saying that?" I slammed my fist into the wall as I screamed, "I have no power!" Blue sparks shot from the floor beneath my feet. I sprang to the side in shock and stared at the now scorched ground.

"You wanna tell that to me again?" Chord's voice sounded amused.

"That wasn't me." I shook my head, my eyes wide. "You honestly think I made that happen? Just tell me how to get out of this tale already! Something's going on here. We need to move...now."

"Agreed. All you have to do is tell the goblin his name."

"He's a goblin? I don't remember his name. I know it, but the curse is preventing me from remembering it."

I could almost see him role his eyes. "Don't you remember anything? You're supposed to have one of the knights go out and scour the villages for him. On the third night, he was supposed to come back with news that he had found the goblin and that he'd learned his name."

"Well, clearly it's a little late for that," I bit back, "so why don't you just tell me his name?"

"Nah, the curse won't let me. I'm surprised I was even able to communicate with you this much." He sighed. "My suggestion would be to go out yourself and look for him. I have a feeling the curse will help you find him."

"And where will you be? For all I know you're not even in the curse with me. How will I find you so I can tear your head off?"

"Doesn't that sound inviting? I'm here, I just don't have a role to play in this particular tale. Depending on which one you're thrown into next, perhaps I will see you there. Although I will ask that you keep an open mind. The characters I'm forced to play - well let's just say that they aren't always the friendliest."

I breathed a laugh. "The role of villain suits you, jerk. I will take no displeasure in killing you if I have to."

"You sure know how to make a guy feel good."

I shrugged. "One of my many gifts."

"I'll see you around, Taryn. Try not to die, would you?"

Getting out of the castle was easier than I thought it would be. I found the door to my room unlocked, and the knights barely blinked as I passed. The curse was playing its part again. I allowed the magic to lead me out of the castle and down the main street of the city.

The cobbled street was crowded with people, as the week long celebration was still in full swing. Even I found myself smiling along with the festivities. If it weren't for the curse pushing me along, I might have stayed and enjoyed a few of the activities.

My feet led me down a narrow road, leading out into the woods that bordered the city. My legs were shaky and I was exhausted, but I kept going. I didn't have a choice.

Eventually, after far too long of walking in silence, the distant sound of singing and chanting could be heard. As it grew nearer, I realized it was the sound of the little man's voice. The curse's magic finally released me and I quickly hid down behind a large stack of wood a few feet away from him.

I saw him then, still dressed in that ridiculous getup, except for the trench coat which he had left hanging on a branch of one of the trees surrounding him. Behind him, inside the hill, was built a tiny house. His shoes he had left by the front door and he hopped around on one leg in a sort of dance around the campfire.

"I outsmart all the rest!

For come the full moon,

I'll claim the royal child soon

Rumplestiltskin no one will have guessed."

I got the feeling that wasn't the original chant from the tale, but it still gave me what I needed. I had the little man's name. Within a few hours, the tale would be over.

I barely made it back to my room before Rumple decided to show up. He looked very pleased with himself, as if he had already won the battle. I shook my head at his smug grin. It would not last for much longer.

"So, your highness," he bowed low as he spoke, "tonight is the final night. I hope you were able to come up with a more interesting name than the last few tries."

"I believe I have." I said.

"Good, then let us hear your suggestion."

"Your name," I paused a moment and smirked at the naive little man, who was sure he had bested me, "is Rumplestiltskin."

His head shot up and his eyes bulged out of his head. "How? How could you have known?"

"Lucky guess."

Rumple began screaming and stomping his feet. "You cheated!" He screamed. "It is the only way you could have known! You cheated!"

I watched as he tore around the room, throwing the biggest tantrum ever. He leapt up onto the bed and stomped his foot so hard it broke clear through the bottom. My eyes widened in shock but I started forward to help him out since he didn't appear to be able to do much of anything in his fit of rage. He snarled as I approached, and with one final yank on his free leg, the little man completely tore himself in two.

"What the-" I froze and stared in equal bits of shock and horror as a puff of golden dust exploded from the spot where he used to stand. When it finally cleared, he was gone. There was no sign of him. Other than the hole in the bed, no one would have guessed that a tiny little man had just been throwing a tantrum in my room.

Last nights dinner began to work its way back up my throat from the sight I'd just been a witness to. Swallowing hard, I forced it back and sank to the floor. I did not remember the tale ending like that. Then again, I hadn't remembered most of this tale at all. I could only hope that I knew the storyline of the next tale as the world around me began to fade away.

* * *

 **Review! :)**


	8. Chapter 7

**I am going to be participating in NaNoWriMo in November so I'm not sure how often I will post in this story over the next month. Since there are very few who are reading this story, it's not going to be my first priority to update. I will return to it, but for now it will be on delay. I just wanted to give the few readers who follow this story a heads up! Thank you all for your understanding :) love you all!**

* * *

"Where am I?"

When the world finally regained some light, I found myself in a room identical to the one where Chord and I had found the book. Only this room was neat and tidy, not at all like the one we had left. Perhaps this was what it had looked like at one point in time. The room was actually quite nice and I could have easily grabbed a book, sat down and stayed there for several hours without a problem. Unfortunately, that option seemed to be out of the question.

"You left this room in the quite a disaster. I do believe I have done a fine job of repairing it, don't you agree? I don't like to brag, but I was always had the best eye for perfection in the family. Heaven help us if I had left Isis to clean this up. She may be my sister but she is completely helpless when it comes to tidying up."

I scanned the room, but there didn't appear to be anyone there. "Who the heck are you? You sound like Isis alright. You have that same sickening, sweet voice, but yet somehow it's completely different." My eyes widened as I realized, "You're Iris."

"Well you're the perceptive little one, aren't you?" The woman chuckled. "Colton warned me about you. Although my brother is about as dimwitted as my sister is. It's nice to finally meet you, Taryn."

"No, no no. We haven't met yet. See, when people meet, typically, the people are able to see each other."

"How rude of me. I do apologize. However I'm afraid that won't be possible at the moment, as I am not in the room with you."

"What is it with people and 'not actually being here'. This is starting to get old. I'm beginning to think I'm the only one in the curse and everyone else I see is just an illusion."

"You're not far off. The curse you are in now is far different than the one you and August were able to escape. Yes, it was built around the same seed, but this one is far superior. It will not be as easily escaped."

"So I've heard."

"The stakes are higher this round. It's no longer only your own life you will be fighting for, Taryn Bauer. Might I direct your attention to the love seat in the corner? I think what you find there will peak your interest."

Grudgingly, I turned and stepped around a book case to find the small couch. I froze when I saw it. Hands tied behind his back, mouth gaged and unconscious, August was lying on the couch.

"What have you done to him?" I demanded, balling my fists at my side. Memories came flooding back. Memories that kept me from running to him. Fear kept my feet rooted to the spot.

"I have simply collected some collateral. To make sure you behave yourself. That little stunt you pulled in the last tale? That's a big no-no. Follow the story, Taryn. If you don't, your prince will suffer the consequences."

"You're despicable."

Iris laughed, the sound far more regal than even Isis'. "Please, don't flatter me, Taryn. You're too kind. Now get back to work. The next tale should be starting soon."

"Why? What's the point of keeping me in here?" I demanded, wiping madly at my eyes to keep the tears at bay.

"That is something you will find out in time. For now, it is best that you do as your told."

I looked at August. He didn't seem to be in pain. In fact, he seemed to be sleeping soundly. There was a good chance he had no idea what was even going on. But what about Dixie? What had happened to her? Was Iris using her as well? Had Dixie managed to somehow escape? I could only hope.

I made a silent vow to both of them then. I would make it out alive. I would find a way to break this curse again and free everyone still trapped inside.

"I promise..."

I woke to someone shaking my shoulders violently. "Come on! Get up! We're going to miss it and if we miss it, the entire story will be changed. If you don't get a move on now, we're both screwed."

"Wha-?"

I peeled my eyes open and found Chord leaning over me, his finger poking my cheek. I jumped and nearly slapped him but he managed to jump out of my reach in time to avoid the contact. "What on earth are you doing?"

"Trying to wake you up." He huffed. "You don't just sleep. You go into a full on coma. It's impossible to wake you up."

"Shut up. What are you doing here anyway?" I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. How long had I been asleep? What had I missed? It all came flooding back then and I leapt to feet, balled my fists at my sides and faced Chord angrily. This was all his fault. "I believe there's something we need to discuss. But first, I'd like your face to meet my fist."

Chord rolled his eyes and shook his head, completely unfazed. "Maybe later. The next tale just started and we need to find the parents' room asap."

"Which tale is it?"

"Hansel and Gretel as far as I can tell."

"Is that even a fairytale?"

"It's a Grimm tale. That's enough for the curse. Though I think Disney may have done some sort of rendition of it at some point."

"Wonderful. And we all know how well the Grimm tales play out in the end."

"Let's not worry about that right now and just focus on completing the first task of this story?"

"Which is?"

"You mean you don't know? Didn't you ever read this story?"

I frowned and cocked my head. "I know the general plot-line. I think everyone does, but I've never actually read the full thing. I have no idea what to expect."

He groaned and bit the nail of his thumb. "Well it's a good thing you have me then. Let's get going. We have to go listen in on our parents' conversation."

"That seems a bit rude, don't you think?" I said as I followed Chord out of the tiny bedroom and across the hall.

He motioned for me to keep quiet and then pressed his ear up against the wooden door. I followed his example.

"I can not sleep for I am worried about our children. How are we to feed them when we can barely feed ourselves?" The father said. The bed creaked loudly as he sat up.

"Since it seems you will not leave me alone until we have come up with a solution, here is what we will do," the woman answered, yawning, "early in the morning we shall wake the children and take them out into the forest where the trees are the most dense. There we will light a small fire to keep them warm while they rest. We will say that we are going to go chop more wood and there we will leave them. Together you and I will return here to our humble cottage alone. They will not be able to find their way home alone, and we shall no longer need to worry about them."

"No!" The man protested, sounding absolutely horrified. "I will not do that. How could I live with myself if I were to know that I was the one responsible for my own children's death? They would not survive for long out there on their own. Not with all the wild animals that live in those trees."

"Then you might as well begin building all our coffins!" The woman said. "We four should all die of starvation if something is not done."

"I would feel so horribly bad for the children if we were to carry out your plan."

"You are too soft," she chided, "it is decided then. Tomorrow, we shall be rid of the children and you and I shall be able to live out the rest of this famine without worry."

I sat back not the floor and stared at the door. Was she serious? I knew this was just a story, but how could any mother be willing to sacrifice her children for her own life? It just wasn't right. How cruel could she be?

Chord scoffed. "You look surprised. How did you think Hansel and Gretel wound up lost in the woods in the first place?"

I shook my head. "It wasn't anything like this, believe me. I always assumed they wandered off by themselves or something. How could she do that to her own kids? What kind of a twisted mind did those Grimm brothers have when they wrote these stories?"

"Perhaps someday, you'll discover some sort of time machine and you can go ask them yourself. For now, let's just get back to our room before they catch us."

I nodded and pushed myself to my feet. "If I wasn't bound to follow this story, I would so kick her ass."

Chord raised an eyebrow and smirked.

I shrugged. "What? I would."

"Nothing. Let's go."

We didn't have to wait long before the woman came to get us. She kept calling us 'sluggards', whatever the heck that meant, and rushed us to get ready to leave. Apparently, she couldn't stand to have us in the house anymore.

She handed us each a slice of bread and said, "There is your dinner. Do not waste it for that is all you are getting. Keep it in your pockets until it is time to eat. That way you are not tempted to eat it before then."

I made a face at her. Was she serious? Keeping food in your pocket was disgusting. She only looked at me pointedly, so I had no other choice. Looking down I realized I was in a simple, white, 1800s style dress with a cream colored apron tied around my waste. I was also barefoot. I wasn't thrilled about it, but I stuffed the slice of bread into the small pocket of the apron and followed the family outside.

Out of the corner of my eye, as the two adults looked out to the forest before us, I caught Chord stooped down and scooping a handful of small white pebbles from the flowerbed into this pocket. I smiled. I had assumed we were going to have to use the bread to leave a trail but Chord seemed to have other plans. I wasn't complaining. At least we would have something to eat later.

"Stop wasting time children!" The woman was waiting impatiently by the tree line, looking back at the two of us bitterly. "I do not wish to be out working all day."

I sighed, rolled my eyes and the two of us began our walk, with Chord occasionally dropping a pebble behind us. After a moment, I broke the silence. "That's actually pretty smart. I was thinking we would have to use the bread."

"We will," He said, dropping another pebble, "this is only the first day."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. "From here, don't we find the house made of candy?"

He shook his head. "Not until tomorrow. Tonight we'll find our way back home. The mother will be mad and she'll figure out how we did it. Then she'll lock us in our rooms and plot against us again. Tomorrow when we go out, we'll drop the bread crumbs, but the birds and animals will have eaten them by the time we begin to head back to the house. That's when we find the old witches house." He looked uncomfortable then, like he was holding something back.

"What happens after that?"

"I thought you said you knew that part of the story."

"I know they find the candy house and the witch tries to cook them but they end up cooking her instead. To be honest, I'm not exactly sure how. As stated before, I've never actually read the story."

"You two better hush up back there or your father and I will leave you here to find your own way home." The woman scolded.

Chord didn't say anything after that. He continued to drop the pebbles every few feet, unbeknownst to the adults. Once we reached a small clearing, the parents stopped and turned to us.

The father said, "Children, gather up some kindling for the fire. We will rest here for a while before setting to work. I am sure you are both tired from the long journey."

Chord and I did as we were told and gathered the wood to build the fire. Once the man had gotten the fire going, the woman instructed us to lie down and rest while the two of them cut some wood for home. I knew they weren't coming back, but we did as they said.

I laid down on the rough ground and tried to find a position that didn't involve a tree root digging into my skin. "How long do we have to wait here?" I asked Chord once the two of them were out of ear shot.

"Until nightfall, which shouldn't be very much longer. Hopefully the curse will help us out by not stalling for too long." Chord said as he too stretched out on his back. "I would suggest getting some sleep. I honestly don't know how tomorrow is going to go and you'll need the rest. I'll wake you when it's time to leave."

"Yeah right, like I could sleep right now." I sighed and looked up at the clouds floating by. The sky was getting darker by the minute. It wouldn't be long before night was upon us. "Ever since we entered the curse, I haven't been able to sleep very much."

"I find that hard to believe. It took me forever to wake you up this morning."

"No, I don't think that was really sleeping. I was wide awake before coming here and I didn't feel at all rested afterward. If anything I felt more exhausted." I scoffed. "I haven't been able to calm my nerves since I got here. I'm on a constant adrenaline rush, and I'm terrified no matter what I do or where I go. The fact is, no matter where I go in this world, I'm still trapped. Trapped inside another curse. A curse identical to the one that caused so much pain for everyone last time, even taking a life."

I turned my head and my eyes grew big as I suddenly realized that it wasn't August lying next to me. For just a brief moment, it had felt like old times, the two of us lying together under the stars on the balcony of the east wing, staring up at the stars. Although our time in the tales had been scaring, it had also been beautiful in its own way. The days stuck in the beast's castle were some of the greatest memories I had. I couldn't deny that. Lying here with Chord had brought on that same sense of security and I had unknowingly admitted far too much to him.

Beside me, Chord kept his eyes focused on the darkening sky above us. "You weren't the only one to suffer in the curse." His voice barely carried above the breeze and I nearly missed it.

My heart clenched and I suddenly felt guilty. Here I was, complaining about my bad luck, when Chord had been trapped inside the same curse. Only his fate had been far worse than mine. Forced to play who knows which characters in the tales, unable to fight it. I could only imagine the torture that must have been.

"Chord?" I asked quietly.

"Hmm?"

"Did we ever meet? In the last curse?"

He stiffened beside me and I knew I had struck a nerve. We had met and he didn't want to tell me about it.

"I promise I won't freak out." I prompted.

He shook his head. "Those are memories I want to forget. There were so many...so many lives."

He began mumbling to himself, his words too low for me to catch. He turned his back to me then and refused to talk. I let him be. I knew all too well the horrors those memories could produce and I didn't want to torture him any more.

As night fell, Chord stomped out the remains of the fire and we began our trek back to the cottage. We walked in silence, both of us trapped inside images we couldn't escape. As much as we didn't want to admit it, the curse had changed us both. We weren't the same people we were before. I watched his face, the shadows from the moon's light cutting through the cracks in the trees made him appear almost demonic. I wondered just what this boy had been like before the curse. Where did he come from? Did he have a family that he hadn't been able to go home to yet? How many more were out there like him? They were all counting on me and I couldn't let them down. I wouldn't.

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	9. Chapter 8

Apparently, the curse felt like keeping us in the tale for a while longer. Chord and I were forced to live with that wretched woman and her husband for more than a week before anything more happened.

I was restless. I didn't like all this waiting around and doing nothing. Not to mention the old woman kept calling us 'sluggards' and forcing us into doing all sorts of chores for her. She was beginning to get on my nerves.

"Stay calm," Chord warned for the hundredth time that day after the old woman barked yet another order at us from inside the cottage, "don't make a scene. Keep your head on your shoulders."

I grit my teeth and gathered up the weeds and clippings we had just spent all morning picking out of her garden. "She's just using us. It's clear she doesn't want us around. We're only good as her slaves. I hate this."

Chord scoffed. "Honestly, what else did you expect? That we'd be able to sit back and comfortably enjoy the last few days while we wait for the story to continue?"

"We've sat at that bedroom door every night now, but there hasn't been anything to hear except the old woman's snoring. I'm tired of waiting around. When is this story going to move on?" I dumped my weeds onto the growing burn pile.

"It'll move on when it wants to move on. For now, there's not much we can do expect continue to play the part."

I groaned and dropped to the ground beside him again. "How can you be so calm about this? Aren't you anxious to get out of here."

He shrugged and kept his eyes focused on his task as he said, "Unlike you, this was my life in the curse. Whatever role I was forced to play each round, I had to live in that fairytale until that couple left. I was confined to one tale for months at a time. In your case, I was in that tale for almost an entire year. Compared to most of them, this world is fairly nice." As he spoke, his voice continued to grow lower.

"Wait, so you're saying that you remained one character the entire time someone was in the curse?"

He nodded and looked up to me, confused by my question. "That is what I just said."

"But that doesn't make any sense. Dixie switched roles when I was in here the last time. Why couldn't you?"

"Some characters were granted a little bit more leniency. They were able to change characters as the couple moved through the tales. Some were even able to jump through the tales and enter which ever one they wanted to."

"Yeah, Dixie did that. I remember that much because we used that ability in order to escape. Even I was able to do that when I kept inside the curse as a side character. I never had the same role for very long."

"You were a special case. You are the reason the curse was created in the first place. Of course you would be able to tale jump, but for most of us, we were stuck with the same character each time."

"That sucks."

"Tell me about it."

"Who were you?" I asked slowly, cautiously. "When I was going through the tales, which character did you play?"

Chord's face darkened just like it always did whenever I brought up the subject. "It doesn't matter now."

"Of course it matters," I pushed, ignoring the instinct I had to back off, "do you really think I can trust you if you keep holding back on me like this?"

He took a deep breath, only barely containing his anger and cracked his knuckles. "Look, there are some things that just shouldn't be talked about. Besides, I never want to relive that again. That year was hell. I'm not going to let a little brat like you drag me back into it just so you can trust me. I frankly don't care at all if you trust me or not. That's not why I'm here. I'm here to free everyone else like me. The people with homes and families to return to. Those who are being forced to relive the same nightmares all over again."

I couldn't find anything to say that didn't make me sound like a complete jerk. So instead I asked, "Why are you here?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" He snapped. "I thought I just made it clear that I'm here to help rescue eveyrone."

"I know why you're here, in the curse. I mean why are you _here_ , with me, playing the part of a main character? Why weren't you sent back as a side character like you were before?"

Chord went to snap back at me but stopped. He frowned and looked back at the ground. "Now that you mention it, I'm not completely sure to be honest. I suppose it has something to do with the fact that I came back into the curse the same way you did, instead of having Iris pull me back in."

"You know Iris?" I was completely shocked, though I wasn't sure why. It was completely logical for him to know her. She was Isis' sister after all and they had probably worked together to build the curse and bring in all the characters. As far as I knew, I was probably the only one who hadn't heard of her before.

He looked back up at me like I had lost my mind. "Of course I do. She's the game master in all of this. Sure Isis controlled the last curse, but this one has Iris written all over it. It's essentially the same curse, but there's something very different about it. It's Iris' handy work, that's for sure."

The old woman's head poked out of the kitchen window above us. "Aren't you two sluggards done yet? I need your help here in the house, and instead the two of you are out here yapping. Keep your mouths shut and your hands busy. I want you both in here in the next ten minutes and that flower bed had better be fit for a king when you do."

"Yes ma'am." Our voices rang out in unison and she darted back inside.

That night, things finally began moving along again. Chord and I found ourselves back outside the couple's bedroom door. At first, there wasn't much to hear except some very loud snoring. I wanted to give up early and go to bed, but Chord insisted we stay just a few more minutes. For once, I wasn't ashamed to admit he was right. If I had given up before, I would have missed it.

"Wake up you lazy oaf." The woman's voice cut through the silence of the night and I could hear her shaking the old man beside her.

"What is it? Is there something wrong?" He asked through a yawn.

"The famine has returned. All the food has nearly vanished. We will not be able to sustain everyone in this household for more than a few days. We must be rid of the children. That is our only hope of survival. Just as we did the last time. We will take them into the woods, deep into the trees, and leave them there, where they will not be able to find their way home again."

The man tried to protest, but the woman insisted and eventually he gave in to her wishes.

"You shall soon see, my dear, that you have made the right decision."

"I do hope you're right."

I turned to Chord with a grin. "Looks like we're back on track."

He sighed. "It appears we are."

The next morning, the old woman came to wake us up and gave us each a slice of bread far smaller than the last time. This time however, on their way out to the woods, they both walked behind us, keeping Chord from being able to sneak some pebbles into his pockets.

"I suppose we'll be using the bread crumbs today." Chord groaned.

"Don't be so uptight. This just means that the story is that much closer to being finished. If we were able to use the pebbles again and have to repeat all of that, I would have gone insane."

He cracked a small smile. "Fair point."

"My you two have been full of words to say recently," the woman said, pushing past us. "if you two walked half as fast as you talked, we'd be there by now."

The man only grunted in consent and slipped by us to go walk beside his wife.

We took our chance and began breaking off pieces of bread to throw on the ground. Chord was far more discreet than I was. Frankly, I just didn't care. So what if they caught us? It wasn't like this trail was going to help us anyway.

I broke large pieces off my bread and it wasn't long at all before I had nothing left. Chord however, was more diligent. He made sure that the trail led all the way to the small clearing where we were to build a camp for dinner.

The couple set to work on building a fire while Chord and I gathered up some kindling for it. After the fire was built, the woman once again told us to stay put and that they would be back to fetch us after they had finished chopping some more wood. Chord and I waved politely and promised to stay put until they came back.

Once they were out of sight, I jumped to my feet. "Alright, lets go. I want to get out of here."

"What's the rush? Nothing happens in the tale until nightfall. Even if we did go now, I doubt we'd find anything. We'd just be wandering around until dark, wasting all our energy. Nah," he yawned and stretched out beside the fire, "I say we just relax and rest here for a while."

"But I-" I groaned and dropped down beside him, "I hate you."

He grinned. "I'd be worried if you didn't."

Once again it didn't take long for night to fall. Within half an hour, the sun had disappeared, leaving in its place, one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen. The moon was full and illuminated the earth below in a beautiful white light, while the sky itself was dressed in millions of sparkling stars. The milky way was visible as well, adding some color to the darkness. For a moment, I forgot that none of this was real. The sky above us, the grass tickling the back of my neck, or even the cool night breeze, all of it was a fabrication produced by magic.

"How could anything be this beautiful and not be real? I find it hard to believe that this is all just some magic trick." I wondered aloud.

Chord chuckled beside me. "It's magnificent, isn't it?" He sighed. "I'm surprised you didn't notice it the last time."

"I was a bit preoccupied the last time I was here."

"Despite their many flaws, the Ingreman sisters do have an eye for beauty. This whole world is created to resemble the most beautiful aspects of our own world. If you take the time to slow down and look around, you'll find that this sort of beauty is all around you."

I turned to look at Chord with the hint of an amazed smile. "You never cease to surprise me."

He rolled his eyes. "Let's just get going. We're wasting moonlight."

"Fine, but I don't know how you expect us to find this witch's house. Our trail's already been eaten away by the animals. Which way do you propose we go?"

Chord pointed up at the sky.

I frowned in confusion but followed his line of sight. He was pointing to one of the only constellations I was ever able to find. "You want us to follow the Big Dipper?"

"No," he trailed his finger down an invisible line, "we follow the north star."

"North it is then! Lead the way, my good man."

"How does August put up with you all the time?" Chord groaned as he stood.

I grinned, as we began walking. "This is not the first time you have asked me this question. Perhaps you do not realize it yet, but it's all part of my charm. People can't stay away."

"Mhmm."

"So what's your story? You got a girlfriend back home?"

Chord shook his head. "My girlfriend and I had just broken up before I found myself here in the curse."

"Oh," I shuffled along in silence for a while, unsure of how to follow that up, "how long have you been part of the curse?"

"Since Isis created it. Five years. The day it was finished, she pulled random people off the street to play her characters. There really wasn't much thought behind it."

"That's our Isis," I shook my head with a sigh, "five years is a long time to be here. How are you still sane?"

"A lot of us aren't anymore. To be honest, not many of the original characters are in their right minds anymore. A lot of them have died. Out of the seventy-five people she pulled in that day, only around twenty of them remain with their sanity in check."

"That's horrible."

"Tell me about it." He froze and grabbed my shoulder to stop me. Before I could question what he was doing, he raised his hand pointed to a small clearing in front of us. Through the trees, I could see the outline of a small house. "We're here."

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	10. Chapter 9

According to Chord, we were supposed to have wandered around the forest for three days before finding the witch's house. Thankfully, since the curse had made us stay longer at the house earlier, it was making up for lost time now and allowed us to find it quickly. On the downside, the house looked disgusting.

I suppose I had never really thought about it before, but a house made of gingerbread from the smell of it, sitting in the sun for who knows how long, wouldn't make for an overly appetizing sight. Even at our distance, I could see the green mold growing along the edges of the house, and though it still smelled of ginger, it also smelled rotten.

"We can't eat that." I pointed out as we approached the rotting house.

"No kidding." Chord kicked at one of the gumdrops lining the path up to the house. It rolled a few feet and broke in half. I wasn't much of a candy person, but I was pretty sure gumdrops were supposed to be soft candies.

Even the cakes surrounding the house looked old. I wrinkled my nose at the various candies lying around as we passed them. "I really hope the curse doesn't expect us to eat any of this. Can't we just go inside and have something to eat in there? Maybe it'll be a bit more fresh in there."

Chord shook his head. "The witch is supposed to come out and greet us first. Then she'll invite us in. We can't enter until that happens."

"So we just wait?"

Chord looked pained as he said, "We could, but I don't think anything will happen until we eat something. In all versions of this story, the children eat the outside of the house first. Unfortunately, that means us."

"You have got to be kidding me."

He pointed to the window, "Gretel is supposed to start licking the windows and window sills as they're made out of hardened sugar," he looked up at the roof where even I could see bird droppings and evidence that the roof was often occupied by a variety of animals, "and Hansel goes up to the roof to eat."

"I think I prefer the windows."

He turned to glare at me, "your support is incredible."

I grinned and bounced over to the window. The sugar glass had clearly been licked on before. Large smears covered every inch of it and I had to fight to keep myself from gagging. "This has to be the most disgusting thing I have ever done."

"Speak for yourself!" Chord called from up on the roof. He hung his head over the side and grinned at me. "There are actually quite a few clean spots up here to choose from," to prove his point he stuffed a piece of gingerbread in his mouth, "my spots not looking so bad anymore, is it?"

I went to punch him in the nose but he pulled himself back up. Turning back to the window, I steeled myself for what was to come. I knew I had to do this. I was just going to have to close my eyes and hope I didn't contract any sort of nasty disease.

The window didn't even taste like sugar. All I could taste were the thousands of germs I was picking up. I quickly licked both the window itself and the sill just to be on the safe side and then back away, furiously wiping at my tongue.

Almost immediately, the door swung open and the ugliest woman I had ever met limped out of the house. The first thing I noticed was her nose. It was huge. Add the giant wart on the side and it was the classic witch's nose. Her eyes were literally sewed together with what looked like patches of skin and her nails were half a foot long. When she smiled in our direction, she had an entire set of clean, white teeth. It surprised me. I was completely expecting the iconic, single yellow tooth to make an appearance after taking in the rest of her.

Chord jumped down from the roof and landed beside me. He was tense. His fists were balled at his sides and his teeth were clenched. What was he so worked up about? I tried to remember any little detail about the story that I could, but all I knew was that we somehow managed to cook her instead of the other way around. Besides, as long as we worked together, this shouldn't take long at all. Of all the villains I had faced before, this one was pretty far down on my list.

"Who is that, nibbling away at my house?" Her voice was frail and scratchy, as if she hadn't spoken in years.

"The squirrels?"

Chord jabbed me with his elbow and shook his head. I just raised a shoulder in response.

"Children! How delightful. Please, come inside and have some nice warm cakes. I have just taken them out of the oven." She motioned toward the door and we obediently stepped inside. "There is nothing to worry about. Please, have a seat and make yourselves right at home. I shall put on some hot tea for us."

She did more than that. Within fifteen minutes, the entire table had been covered in delicious looking food, from pancakes to caramel apples. It took everything in me not to eat anything. Even my stomach growled at the beautiful aroma.

I looked to Chord and then to the array of food, begging for permission to dig in, but shook his head once and that was it. He was right of course. We had no way of knowing if the food was safe. Iris was behind all of this after all. We couldn't be too careful. Still, it beyond tempting to reach out and just try one delicious red strawberry.

The witch sat at the head of the table and ate the food happily, content in her belief that we were eating as well. She kept encouraging us to keep eating until our stomachs stopped growling. I realized then that both our stomachs kept making estranged noises and the longer we sat there, the louder they became. The curse was toying with us again, forcing us to play along.

Despite Chord's warning, I grabbed a pancake off the stack and took a big bite off of it. As soon as the pancake hit my mouth, my stomach relinquished its crying. It didn't take long for Chord to follow my lead. We didn't eat much, only enough to make the noises stop and to appease the witch.

When we had finished the meal, she directed us to the small room in the back where she had conveniently prepared two beds with clean white sheets. Chord and I each took a bed and feigned sleep. The old witch stood and listened to the sound of our breathing for a while, occasionally licking her lips and then quietly left the room. After that, the house remained quiet. She had gone to bed.

"I don't remember the children ever spending the night here." I whispered.

Chord didn't say anything. He was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling and nervously cracking his knuckles.

"What's wrong?"

He turned to me and the look of fear I saw there made me pause. What was it about this tale that had him so worried? "Do you really believe we'll finish this tale?"

"Excuse me?"

He stared at me earnestly, fearing my answer.

I scoffed. "Of course we will. Look, if I can survive Little Red Riding Hood and Neverland, I can handle some dumb old blind witch."

Chord rolled his eyes but he looked relieved. "You sure do have a lot of confidence in yourself."

I shrugged. "Someone has to. Everyone else only ever doubts my abilities."

"What abilities?"

Glaring, I threw my pillow at him which he easily dodged with a quiet chuckle.

By dawn, the witch had returned to our room.

"I'm so glad you're both up." She greeted cheerfully.

I cocked an eyebrow. "For a blind old woman, you sure know a lot."

"Why of course! It is the sound of your breathing that alerted me you were awake."

"Mhmm."

She padded over to Chord's bed and felt his arm, and once she touched it, a smile crossed her lips. Even I had to admit that Chord was well built. He was tall and muscular and quite easy on the eyes. Of course, if August had heard that, he would have killed me, then killed Chord and just for extra measure, killed me again.

"You shall do nicely." With an ease that should not have been possible in such an old woman, she lifted Chord over her shoulder and strode out of the room.

I was so shocked by the sudden action that I didn't respond until she was crossing through the doorway. By the time I had shouted and jumped to my feet, the witch had closed the door and I heard the distinct click of the lock. What the heck was that about? And why hadn't Chord put up any sort of a fight? Just what was going on?

I paced. My mind was racing faster than my heart and I couldn't sit still. It seemed like forever before she returned. I faced her head on as she came through the door. I didn't feel all that brave in that moment, but it helped that she couldn't see me.

"Fetch water and some wood for the stove, girl. Cook up something nice for your brother to eat. He is being held in the stable, in the little cell. I want him fattened up. He has plenty of muscle, yes, but a little fat always makes the meet so much juicier."

"You are revolting." I couldn't think of anything else to say. I stared at the witch in pure disgust as she grinned at me.

"It is not your place to judge me girl. After your brother, you will make a fine dessert. Perhaps a pie?"

"No freakin way."

"You have no choice." She laughed. "If you do not do as I have asked, your brother will die. Only I possess the key to his cell and the lock can not be picked as I have used my magic to seal it. Likewise, the cell can not be broken into any other way, as my magic prevents it. Therefore, you must do as I ask, for your brother's sake."

"Why? You're just going to eat him anyway? No matter what I do, he's dead." And suddenly it hit me why Chord had been so worried. He didn't trust me to get him out of this alive. I groaned and rubbed my head. "I suppose I'll have to show him."

"What are you jabbering about?"

"Oh nothing. Just wondering what I should make my dear brother to eat. He's rather picky you know."

"I don't care what you make him, just make him something. Something with a high calorie count! The sooner he fattens up, the better."

"Salad it is then," I murmured under my breath, "You got it, Lady."

The next few days were all the same. I would be forced to cook food for Chord, while I was fed scraps from her table. It was maddening. The curse refused to let me snitch anything either. It appeared as though it wanted me to starve. I couldn't keep living off bread crusts. I could feel myself growing weaker as the days past. By now, I should have guessed that something was up. Chord tried to warn me about what was coming, but even he wasn't sure how this part of the tale was going to happen.

Days turned into weeks and before I knew it, an entire month had passed. Chord remained the same, as I kept him well fed, but I had lost a considerable amount of weight. More than should have been possible. I guess it was the curse's way of helping the story along.

The witch was growing tired of waiting and one morning she finally broke. "Gretel, fetch some water and make a stew. When you are finished, bring your brother to me and I shall cook him."

"Yeah, right. Like I'm going to do that."

The witch laughed. "My dear, you do not have a choice. You are far too weak to do any damage to me now. You will have to do as I say."

"Not on your life."

She made a tsk sound and shuffled across the room to the oven. Bending down, she stuck her head near the door and took a deep breath. "If you do not wish to make the stew right now, I suppose we could get the baking done first." She motioned me over and the curse forced me to oblige. She opened the oven door and pointed inside. "Do me a favor, girl, and climb inside there to see if it is efficiently warm to make the pies."

"What sort of sick logic makes you believe that having me crawl inside will give you that sort of info?" I asked, disturbed by her odd request.

"Just do it. It is the most efficient way. Believe me, I have been baking far longer than you have been alive. I know what I am doing."

"Oh good, then you can crawl in there to see for yourself."

"I would, but my old bones no longer allow me such luxury."

"I don't even see how that oven is big enough for someone like me to fit inside."

"Now, see that is where you are wrong. Have I not been making you smaller over the past month solely for this purpose? You are of perfect size for this job."

"Is there any part of your mind that's still sane?"

To my surprise, she actually paused to think about my question for a brief moment. Then she shrugged and shook her head. "I doubt it."

"At least she's honest."

"Now hurry up and do as you're told girl!"

"I'd rather not." I stepped around behind the hunched woman. Didn't the story end with them pushing her into the oven instead? I raised a shoulder in response to my own question. It was worth a shot. With as much strength as I could manage, I pushed the witch toward the open oven door.

She cried out in shock and stumbled a bit, but was able to catch her balance before falling in.

Crap.

She turned an angry face in my direction. "For that, you will pay."

Around the room, everything began shaking. The fire in the oven shot up and the water in the cauldron began to boil. Around her, a glowing white aura appeared. The patches of skin over her eyes dissolved, revealing the blood red eyes hidden behind them.

"I don't remember this in the story." I breathed.

"I am not as dumb as you believe me to be, Taryn Bauer. Simply because the story ends with my death, does not mean that is how this tale will end." Her voice had changed. It was no longer that of the old witch, but that of a much younger woman. Someone with a huge amount of power. A witch who could kill me with a single word. I was so screwed.

"So, you know my real name, huh? Impressive. I suppose that means you're not just some fabrication of the curse. You're another human, just like me."

"No, we are far different, you and I. I would never lump myself in with your kind."

"My kind? You do know that I'm the one trying to save your butts from this curse, right? I'm trying to send you all home to your families and this is the thanks I get." I scoffed.

"Perhaps some of us prefer to remain working under Iris and Isis."

I paused. "I've noticed, no one ever mentions Colton. It's like you all are fine working for Iris and her sister, but what about the maniac brother? He's really not that much different than his sisters."

She sighed. "Men are idiots. That man couldn't hold a torch to what his sisters can do. He's simply hopeless and outrageously arrogant on top of it. I can't stand that man."

I nodded. "Yeah, I can understand that. Believe me, I've spent more time with him than I care to admit."

"I do pity you for that."

"Enough to let me go?"

She laughed. "A noble effort, but no. I'm afraid I must destroy you."

"Darn," I snapped, "and just when I was beginning to like you."

Flames shot to life in each of her palms. "Goodbye, Taryn Bauer. I must say, it was a pleasure knowing you."

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 **Sorry I didn't get a chapter up last week! But the NaNoWriMo novel is coming along quite nicely :)**


	11. Chapter 10

**I'm back! Novemeber is over, the novel is written and I can now resume updating this story on a regular basis!**

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Somewhere, amidst all this madness, I had come to the conclusion that I'd never had any sort of idea how this tale actually went. Was it even a fairytale? Had I already asked that question? I wasn't sure about anything anymore.

Yet somehow, with the crazy, red-eyed witch staring me down from across the room, I was a heck of a lot less scared than I probably should have been. Maybe it was the lack of food, or maybe I was just losing my mind. Perhaps it was the fact that I was too mad at Chord for not trusting me to actually be scared. I didn't know the reason.

"Prepare yourself, Taryn Bauer." The witch said. "I will try to make this a quick death."

"You're too kind."

She looked pleased with herself. "I do try."

"Just one question before you smite me," I said.

The witch was caught off guard and lowered her arms a bit, looking at me with a puzzled expression.

"Why do you willing work for Iris? You know she's only using you right?"

She thought about it for a moment. "It's got good pay. Plus, have you seen the dental plan? How else am I going to get my teeth this white?" She flashed me a dazzling white smile. "You wouldn't believe it, but a child's flesh is worse on the teeth than a bag of candy."

"That is so gross."

"So much tastier though."

"You really are insane."

"I believe we've already had this conversation."

"Yeah, well you keep giving me shockingly, new proof of that."

The witch rolled her eyes. "Are you finished talking yet? I swear, I have never battled another player who took this long to actually start the fight. Either get into the oven like a good little girl, or stand still so I do not miss my target."

"Tempting," I said, "but I'm going to have to pass. See, the boy in the dungeon out there? He doesn't believe that I can get him out of this alive. I have to prove him wrong. Unfortunately, that means defeating you."

The witch pouted. "But we were going to have so much fun! I can sense the power inside you even now. I haven't battled anyone like you in a long time."

"Sorry to burst your bubble of fun, but I really can't stay."

"Kids these days are no fun."

I slowly began backing toward the door. The witch was still grumbling to herself about my lazy generation and how no one ever wanted to fight her anymore. I decided my generation wasn't lazy, we were just smarter than everyone else. Who would want to go up against someone like her? They would have to be crazy.

She didn't notice that I had moved until I grabbed the door handle and yanked it open. She shouted in surprise, but I dove outside before she could slam the door shut in my face. I heard her scream of rage as I raced across the lawn to the small barn.

When I got inside, his eyes grew wide and he jumped to his feet. Although in the small cage, he had to stay hunched over.

"Did you do it?" He asked in disbelief. "You killed the witch?"

"Not exactly."

He groaned and sank back to floor. "I knew it. We're dead."

"Hey man, have a little faith. We're here to rescue these people, remember? Not kill them all."

"She's part of the curse," he grumbled, "she would have just regenerated once the tale reset."

"Are you sure about that? How do we know that's how it works? We haven't had to kill anyone to finish a tale yet. Rumple doesn't count. He tore himself in half. How do we know they'll come back if we're the ones doing the killing?"

"You couldn't do it, could you? You couldn't beat her."

"Hey! She had glowing red eyes and balls of blue lights in her hands. My odds weren't looking great." I protested.

He sighed. "Just get me out of here. If she's not dead, it won't be long before-"

Chord was cut off by the barn door flying off its hinges and landing with a crash in one of the stalls.

"Before she comes looking for us," Chord finished, "Now you've done it. We are so dead."

I rolled my eyes. "Remember that whole conversation we just had, about you having faith in me? You should give it a try."

"Why would I do that when I know you aren't able to beat her?"

"Because right now I'm the only hope you have of leaving here alive."

"That is the least reassuring thing you have ever said."

I turned on him angrily. "Look, Genius, you're the one who brought me back here. It's your fault we're about to become barbecue for some old hag. So sit down and shut up."

"I am sitting down." He pointed out.

"Than shut up and let me beat this witch so I can rub it in your face later."

"And just how do you plan on beating me, Taryn Bauer?" The witch sneered, bringing my attention back to her.

"I'm still working on that." I said.

"We're dead." Chord sighed as if accepting his own fate.

I glared at him. "Would you quit saying that! We are not going to die here. I won't let that happen."

Deep down, I knew they were both right. I didn't stand a chance against someone as powerful as this witch. I didn't even have an oven to help me out. Blood pounded in my ears and my hands were shaking so badly, when I reached over to pick up the pitch fork, I could barely hold it.

"How would you like to go? Eternal imprisonment in a tiny cage," I motioned to the small cell that held Chord, "or death by pitchfork?"

The witch laughed. "I will not be the one dying here today. But please, take your best shot."

What I did next was stupid. I charged her, armed with only a green flimsy, plastic pitchfork that I could barely lift with my shaking hands.

Behind me, Chord said something about how dumb I was and how we were both dead. I tried my best to ignore him. We weren't dead. Not yet. My mind flashed with images of Dixie and August. They were waiting for me back in the real world. Iris was holding August and she probably had Dixie too. If I died here, what would happen to them?

The witch easily avoided my attack, leisurely stepping aside as I barreled past with an angry cry. I swung back around to face her again, but was met with a blast of energy that sent me flying backward.

My head connected with the wall and I crumpled to the floor in a pathetic heap. Moaning, I tried to sit up but the world decided to go all carnival ride on me, spinning so fast I fell back down.

Distantly, Chord shouted, "Look out!"

I blinked several times, desperately trying to bring my vision back into focus. A black blur was quickly approaching. I could only assume it was the witch, coming in to finish me off.

I rolled to the side, or I thought I did. I ended up just running into the wall again. The spinning room was more than a little disorienting. I tried to stand, but I could barely tell which way was up and which way was down. I could have been standing on my head for all I knew.

The witch laughed at my weak attempts to move and I realized she must have been casting some sort of magic to keep my head a foggy mess. "Have you had enough yet? Are you willing to accept your fate and die by my hand?"

"Not on your life."

She sighed. "I liked you, Taryn. I was really hoping to avoid demolishing you completely."

The barn was engulfed with a sudden intense light as the witch formed the magic in to her hands once more.

I kept my hands pressed firmly against the side of the barn as I fought to regain my feet under me. "I may not have ever read this particular tale, or know how it goes, but I've never heard of the old hag using magic to beat the children."

"You are correct in your assumptions. The original story does involve any sort of magic. Baking is the only solution. However, Isis has warned us all about you and your special abilities. She and Iris decided it was best to give each of us a little added support. I do feel for Rumplestiltskin though. The poor dear never stood a chance. You see, he wasn't given any special powers. In fact, no one in that tale was. Your arrival there was premature. The sisters did not have efficient time to prepare those characters for their untimely deaths."

My mouth felt dry and my stomach twisted itself into several knots. "You mean he's really dead? Rumple isn't coming back?"

"Oh dear, no. There are no second chances in this game. Your very lives are now on the line."

Somehow, that didn't surprise me. But there was something else the witch had said that bugged me. Something that didn't make any sense. "You said that Iris and Isis had set up extra powers for you characters to face me with. That implies that they knew we were coming, but that's not possible. Chord came to me on his own. They couldn't have known we were going back into the curse."

The witch laughed. "That boy may have believed he was acting on his own, but it had all been planned out by Iris long before. She knew he was going to seek you out. They used his disloyal actions to their advantage."

"I knew I didn't like them for a reason." Chord grumbled.

"So this entire thing was planned." I shook my head in disbelief. "Why didn't I see that earlier?"

The witch shrugged. "Perhaps you are not as clever as they say you are. In any case, you are still going to die today. You are being held here, yes. But we have had no orders to spare your life."

"Wonderful."

She grinned. "Are you prepared to die, Taryn Bauer?"

"Not yet. There's some unfinished business I have to take care of first."

"I'm afraid, dear, that you don't have a choice. I must follow my role and kill you now."

I managed to roll to the side just as another blast of light blasted the barn door.

The oven. It was my only option. I had to get the witch back inside the house.

Struggling back to my feet, I began stumbling toward the house. The more she shot that beam of light at me, the worse my senses got. I could barely see anymore.

She leisurely walked behind me, laughing at my pathetic attempts to move quickly. "I will say that you are persistent."

Somehow, I managed to make it to the house and stumbled through the front door. The witch followed and lightly closed the door behind us.

"Might I ask what you plan to do next?"

I leaned up against the table and eyed the witch wearily. "I haven't decided yet."

"Well while you're deciding. I think I'll kill you."

Before I could react, she shot another beam of light. I couldn't dodge it. It moved too fast. I screamed. The bright light was all I could see. Distantly I heard an explosion. Heat flared up around me, ensnaring me in an oven of bright light. So this was how it was going to end. She would end up cooking me anyway.

That's when I saw the first blue spark. It drifted across my line of vision lazily and then dissolved. Frowning, I noticed that there were more of them. A few danced around my waist and they became more dense farther down my legs. When I saw my feet, I saw that I was standing a blanket of the blue sparks. The same sparks that had appeared in the Rumpelstiltskin tale.

Eventually, the light died down and I was able to see again. My strength had returned and my vision was no longer blurred. The area beneath my feet was charred black. The rest of the house looked like a bomb had gone off inside. The table was blown in half and the chairs lay in pieces scattered across the room. Dishes and other objects lay shattered on the floor. The only area not affected was a two foot perimeter around me.

The witch stood among all the wreckage, stunned. Her glowing red eyes trained on me. "What are you?"

I looked back down at the charred ground. That was an honest question. I wasn't even sure what I was. There was no way I should have survived a blast like that. And what was with the blue sparks? None of it made sense.

"I uh-I'm still working that out too."

"Your life is a mess. You don't come prepared for anything."

I shrugged. "I've always been a bad planner. I usually just fly by the seat of my pants. Like now."

Reaching down, I grabbed a handful of ash left over from the explosion and threw it at the witch, temporarily blinding her. Then I shoved her over in the direction of the oven. She yelped and stumbled. Her foot caught on the train of her dress and she fell forward. Her head connected with the edge of the oven and she crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

I slowly walked over and nudged her with my foot to make sure she was really out. If I could get Chord free from that cage before she woke up, maybe we could get out without having to kill her. She didn't move when I rolled her over and I breathed a sigh of relief.

I turned to leave, but the witch's hand shot out and grabbed onto my ankle. With a shout of surprise, I lost my balance and tumbled to the floor. My head shot around to find her red eyes glaring at me with a new hatred.

"How dare you disrespect me like that!" She spat some ash from her mouth and wiped the black soot off her face. A large cut was bleeding on her forehead. "That was a coward's move, Taryn."

"It worked didn't it? Well, sorta."

I kicked her in the face and she released me with a cry of pain. I scrambled to my feet and bolted for the door but a blast of her magic sent me flying through the air. I landed with a crash against a large cabinet filled with fancy dishes. They crashed against the glass door and shattered into a million different pieces. I was just glad the door was closed so I wasn't gifted with a glass bath.

"You will not insult me like this!" The witch was back on her feet and quickly advancing on me. "Get up and fight me with your own powers. You are clearly gifted and yet you refuse to fight me as an equal. I will not stand for such arrogance."

I rubbed my head and stood. I should have been disoriented at the least. Maybe a little woozy and dizzy from a hit like that, but I felt fine. Whatever those blue sparks had done earlier was effecting me. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't complaining. I was just a bit confused.

"Look, lady, I really don't want to fight you. Fighting you would mean killing you and you said yourself there's no coming back. I'm in this stupid curse to save you. If I were to have to kill you, I feel like that would be a bit counterproductive."

"Nonsense! I will not die. It is you who will be dead by the end of the day." She straightened out her dress and wiped a wooden chip off her shoulder. "I'm a powerful sorceress, granted powers from Iris herself. You can not defeat me."

"You really want to bet on that?"

She threw her head back and laughed. "You really are a funny girl."

"Yeah, well, hopefully my humor and clever wit will be enough to get me out of this because that's all I have." I muttered to myself.

"Call forth your powers, Taryn, and we shall have a true battle of strengths."

"Look, lady, even if I could 'call forth my powers' I wouldn't use them on you. Did I not just say that I was here to save you all from this stinkin' curse?" I grabbed the splintered broom handle by my feet. It wasn't much of a weapon, but it would work. "But if you insist on trying to kill me..."

I ran forward with a cry, prepared to bash her over the head with my stick, but she was quick. She fashioned a her magic light into ball of energy and threw it at me. I swung the stick and managed to hit the ball of light, sending it flying off in the other direction where it landed in with another explosion inside of the bedroom.

"Foolish girl! Quit ruining my house!" The witch shouted angrily.

"Well maybe if you didn't keep trying to blow me up, your house wouldn't be exploding right now!" I quickly countered and raced toward her again.

This time, she was distracted by the wreckage in the other room and I was able to slam my stick into the back of her head. She grunted in pain and staggered. I watched as she fell backward. She would have been fine, if it weren't for the magic of the curse. Apparently, it didn't want to leave things as it was. As she fell, the oven door fell open and an unseen force pushed her back just far enough that she landed on the oven door. It closed then, locking her inside and the fire blazed to life.

I rushed to help her, but I couldn't get the oven door open. The witch remained unconscious, which I was glad for. I don't think I could have endured her anguished screams. I yanked on the over door and beat it with the handle of the broom until my hands were bloody but it was no use.

Backing away, I pressed my back against the wall and slid to the floor, staring in horror at the dying witch.

I desperately wanted to tear my eyes away from the scene but I couldn't. I watched helplessly as the witch was engulfed in flames and burned beyond recognition. I felt sick and I lost any food that I might have had left in my stomach right there on the floor of the kitchen.

After a while, I walked back to the barn. My mind had shut down. All I could see was the witch trapped inside the oven.

I barely registered it when Chord saw me and gasped, "You're alive! Oh my-what happened? Is the witch still alive? How did you defeat..." He trailed off when he saw my face.

My fingers fumbled with the lock as I tried to get it open. I refused to talk or even look at him for fear of breaking down.

"Are you alright?" Chord's hands reached through the bars and covered my shaking ones.

I wished he wouldn't do that. A stray tear slipped through my barriers and trailed down my cheek. Angry at myself for being so weak, I yanked my hands away from his and wiped at my face.

"This isn't working. We need to find something that'll break the lock."

I ignored Chord's attempts to get my attention as I searched the room. There had to be something I could use. That's when I noticed the left over sparks of the witch's magic. I wasn't sure if I could use them, but I had to try. If I was able to summon my own blue sparks, I should be able to handle hers, right?

"Don't do it, Taryn. You don't know what they'll do to you if you try to use them." Chord warned. "I need you alive to free us."

I didn't respond. Crouching down, I allowed my fingers to trail through the magic dust. It clung to the tips of my fingers but didn't hurt me in any way. Curiously, I tried picking it up. Most of it seeped through my fingers, but I was able to hold onto a small bit. Hopefully it was enough to blow the lock.

I told Chord to back up and cover his head just to be safe and then I threw the dust at the lock. At first nothing happened. It landed lightly on the metal and sparkled in the evening light, but there was no explosions. I blew out a breath of frustration and kicked a pile of hay. I was about to turn to look for something I could possibly bash the lock open with when it started smoking. The dust started popping and sparking.

It exploded then. It wasn't a huge explosion, but it was enough to disintegrate the lock.

"Well would you look at that," I smirked, "it worked. Maybe next time you won't be so quick to judge my insane plans."

"I'll keep that in mind." Chord climbed out of the cage, carefully avoiding the smoldering metal. "Now let's get out of here."

He eyed me warily as he came to stand beside me. "What happened in there?"

I just shook my head. I wasn't ready to talk about it yet. Chord must have understood because he simply nodded and took my hand, which surprised me.

"I know you don't want to talk about it and that's fine, I won't rush you, but coming from someone who's experienced some pretty horrible things here, it's better if you know you're not alone. Sometimes, just the simple reassurance that someone's there is enough to ease the burden."

I smiled gratefully at him. I knew I wasn't strong enough to do this alone, but maybe, with Chord's help, we could defeat Iris and return to the real world again.

A small spark of hope lit inside of me. Something that I thought I would never feel again. I squeezed Chord's hand and mouthed, "thank you".

He smiled and nodded. "The tale's not over yet though. Let's go gather up some of the witch's treasures and bring them home to our lovely mother and father."

"Can I please punch the old lady in the face?" I begged as we began walking back toward the house. I wasn't anxious about entering there again, but the sooner we did, the sooner we'd be able to leave.

"No punching old ladies." Chord scolded playfully

"Fine," I threw my head back with great exaggeration, "but I'm not giving her any treasures. That's officially your job."

He laughed. "Deal."

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 **Review!**


	12. Chapter 11

Chord and I gathered up as much of the witch's jewels and pearls as we could stuff into our pockets. I was careful to avoid the oven. She no longer screamed and I knew she was dead, but the look of disgust on Chord's face when he peered through the small window on the oven door, proved that she was a nasty sight inside there.

I couldn't get out of the house fast enough. As soon as my pockets could no longer hold any more trinkets, I was out the door. Chord didn't stick around for very long after that either.

We started our walk back in silence. I couldn't get the images out of my head. They played over and over again like a bad record. I must have looked pretty bad because Chord slowed down to my pace and took my hand. He didn't say anything, his eyes remained fixed on the path ahead, but his message was clear, 'I'm here if you need me'.

I was grateful, but I wished it had been August. The thought of him being held by Iris kept gnawing at the back of my mind, never letting me forget. If I messed up or did anything to make Iris mad, she wouldn't hesitate to kill him.

Another part of me felt guilty. Here Chord was, giving me all the support I needed and yet all I had done was be a jerk to him. Maybe he was right, I wasn't sure how August had put up with someone like me for so long. It probably wouldn't be long before he came to his senses and dumped me. The curse on my family might have been lifted, but that didn't mean I was any better off in the romance department.

"Taryn!" Chord pulled me back right before I could walk right off the bank of a river.

He laughed. "Watch where you're going, would you?"

I stared down at the raging waters a foot below us. The bank wasn't large but it was steep and I had a feeling anything that accidentally fell into those waters was never seen again. How had I missed it? I must have really been out of it. The rushing water was so loud, we had to shout to be heard.

"How are we supposed to get across?" I asked.

Chord looked up and down the bank and then shrugged. "A white duck is supposed to carry us across."

"A duck?"

He nodded grimly. "But I don't see how anything can get past that river. Not even a duck can swim that well."

A voice behind us cleared their throat. I whipped around to find the largest swan I had ever seen. With his head held up, he was as tall as I was. His back was plenty large enough to carry a human with ease.

I leaned toward Chord, "I think I found your duck."

The bird ruffled his feathers indignantly. "I am a swan. Do not associate me with my dim witted brethren. Unfortunately we are related, however I smarter and much more beautiful. The ducks have not even learned how to speak yet. The poor creatures are simply too simple minded to handle such a task."

"You're supposed to be a duck." Chord pointed out.

I tried to tell him to shut up but he wasn't listening to me.

"The story clearly states that it was a white duck that carried the children across the river."

"Those idiots wouldn't know a duck from a squirrel. The stories of the children were far too misinterpreted. It was in fact, I, the great swan, who carried them across the raging river."

"Idiots? You mean the Grimm brothers?" I asked.

The swan shook his head. "Dear heavens, no. The Brothers Grimm were simply fed incorrect facts. Although it's true that this story has become somewhat of a legend because of them, they were not the original story tellers."

"Seriously? I thought the Grimm Brothers were the ones who wrote the Grimm Fairy Tales." Suddenly, I wasn't sure of anything anymore.

The swan cocked its head at me and frowned (can a swan frown?). "You are playing with me or are you really this clueless? The Brothers Grimm did not write any of the tales that they published. Yes, they would often add their own twists and style to the stories, but they were never their own creations. The brothers gathered up German tales to preserve their lineage. They wanted to create something that would last a lifetime.

"As for this particular tale, even I am unsure of who the original author was. However, the original story did involve ogres and other ghastly creatures. Since then, the story has gone through dozens of different variations, but the one that people most remember, is the one told by the Brothers Grimm."

"So you're saying that the Grimm Brothers didn't write these tales?"

The swan looked at Chord with obvious disbelief. "Did I not just say that? Is your friend here ill? Perhaps she needs to see a doctor."

Chord frowned. "You seem to know a lot about this stuff."

"Of course I do," he fluffed his feathers proudly, "I am the Swan. We are a noble creature with knowledge on nearly every subject. Since I am a part of this tale, it is only natural that I know its history."

"Uh-huh. So tell me," I said, "will you take us across the river? Whether the Grimm Brothers wrote this tale or not doesn't make me like it anymore. I would very much like to get out of here."

"I suppose you would after everything you have been a witness to today, Taryn Bauer. But please, do not take the witch's death in despair. It was not your fault. You are destined to save those trapped here in the tales, but you are only human. You can not save everyone."

"Was that supposed to be a pep talk?"

The swan seemed to laugh. "Come, let us cross the river. It will be dark soon."

The swan swam across the river with surprising ease. He took Chord across first and then came back to get me. His back was fairly comfortable, for a bird. His feathers were soft and there was plenty of room so I didn't feel like I was going to fall off.

When we reached the other side, Chord and I thanked the swan, who then turned and easily swam back upstream, against the current. I wasn't sure how he was doing it, but I assumed it had something to do with the magic of the curse.

"The house shouldn't be much further." Chord motioned for me to follow as he trapsed back into the forest. "We should be there by nightfall if we hurry."

"I'm too tired to hurry." I whined, stumbling along behind him.

It wasn't a lie. I was exhausted. My eyelids weighed about a million pounds and my feet shuffled along, tripping over every little stone on the path.

Chord stopped, looked me over and sighed. "You do look like death."

"You sure know how to make a girl feel good."

He rolled his eyes. "That's your boyfriend's job. My job, is to make sure you get everyone out of here alive."

Whether he meant to or not, he put extra emphasis on the word 'alive' which only made me feel worse.

"I'm sorry, alright?" I bit out. I didn't mean to sound so angry, but I wasn't thinking straight. I was tired and hungry. My feet were about to fall off and my emotions were running high. "It wasn't my fault the witch died. All I did was hit her over the head with a broom handle. The curse pushed her into the oven."

Chord quickly shook his head. "No, that's not-"

"Oh save it. We both know you blame me for that. You're probably thinking that I can't do this and you're wondering why you even bothered in the first place."

Chord tried to cut in, tell me I was wrong and that he didn't mean it like that but I was on a roll.

"All I do is mess things up for you. There's no possible way I can save everyone if I can't even save a single witch. Not to mention everyone else's lives that hang in the balance. One wrong move from me and everyone I care about back at home is dead. There's no possible way I can manage all of that! I know that, I don't need you rubbing it in my face!"

Without another word, I stormed ahead, leaving Chord staring after me, confused. I probably shouldn't have blown up at him like that. It wasn't his fault all of this was happening. All he wanted was a bit of help to bring this curse to an end. To resume the lives of everyone in here. Not only that, but he'd genuinely tried to be nice to me, but all I had ever done was yell at him. He must have thought I was the biggest jerk ever.

I stopped, pressed my back against a tree and slid to the ground. I refused to cry, but I was so tired I could barely stand.

After a while, Chord reappeared. He looked uneasy, like he wasn't sure how to approach me. I couldn't blame him. Not after I'd gone all banshee on him.

I sighed and leaned my head back against the rough bark, closing my eyes. It dug painfully into the back of my head, but I didn't care. In fact, I welcomed the pain. I proved I was still there. I was still alive. The curse hadn't destroyed me yet and as long as I had something to say about it, it wouldn't.

"I'm sorry." Surprisingly, it was Chord who spoke first.

I frowned but didn't open my eyes. "What?"

He took a deep breath, "I said I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for? I'm the one who nearly bit your head off. I'm the one who should be apologizing to you."

I heard him come closer and sit down next to me. "That's why I'm apologizing."

"That doesn't make any sense."

He breathed a laugh. "Maybe it doesn't. Maybe I'm going mad."

"I could have told you that."

"I shouldn't have said anything back there. I knew you were on the brink of losing it. I should have just kept my mouth shut for now. But I want you to know that I don't think that way about you. You're a great person, Taryn. Not many people I know would be willing to walk back into their own nightmare like you did. The swan was right. You can't save everyone. I know that, you know that. Iris knows it too. She's playing with your mind."

"I figured that much. Isis did the same thing the first time. It seems those sisters get a lot of pleasure out of messing with people's heads."

"I was wrong," Chord said.

I cringed, expecting him to tell me that he shouldn't have brought me here. That it was a mistake. I waited for him to tell me what a waste of time I was.

Instead he said, "I shouldn't have expected you to trust me when I wouldn't even tell you who I was."

He shocked me so much, I sat up to stare at him.

He took a shaky breath and studied his hands. "I was scared. I didn't think you'd help me if I told you who I played in the curse. All the horrible things I did. I was sure it would scare you away. But after everything's that's happened. The way you fought the witch knowing that you would probably die, and then getting up and brushing yourself off after the battle was over, it proved to me just how strong you are."

I fell back against the tree and blew out a frustrated breath. "I'm not that strong. Hmph, I'm falling apart here. If anyone's strong, it's you."

I turned to look at him then and voiced the words I had been terrified to speak before. I hadn't wanted them to be true, but looking at him now, I knew it was. He had the same big eyes, and if I looked close enough, I could make out yellow specks against the grey. His dark hair had streaks of silver in it and even his impish grin seemed familiar. "You're the infamous, 'Big Bad Wolf'."

His head shot up and his eyes were wide. He really was scared. I could tell by the way he watched me that he expected me to jump up and run at any second.

I actually laughed at him. I laughed so hard I cried. Looking back on it, I'm not sure why I was laughing. I could have been the fact that I was so deliriously tired and his face was priceless, or it could have been that, even though I was scared out of my mind, I found myself deciding to trust him. I was probably signing my own death warrant by trusting him, but I didn't care. I was too tired to care. Besides, if he had wanted to hurt me, he would have done it by now.

"You knew?" He asked cautiously.

I shrugged as my laughter died. "I pieced it together. The other villains played some pretty nasty roles, but by the way you spoke of your role, I knew it had to be worse than that. And I knew we'd met before. You tried to kill me. That's why you didn't want to tell me, isn't it?"

He kept watching me, like he was waiting for me to jump up and kick him in the face. When he spoke, his words were slow and quiet.

"When I met you, I was awake. For the first time since I had entered the curse, I wasn't seeing things through the wolf's eyes. They were my own. It had been nearly a year since I'd eaten anything. The curse kept me alive, but it wasn't living. I meant what I said to you. It wasn't the curse manipulating my words. They told me that you were the only one who could cure my hunger and endless torture. They said I could go back to my real life if you were killed. I believed them. I didn't even hesitate."

His eyes held so much pain and regret for what he had done, but now that he had started he wasn't stopping. "I had killed so many people before you. Every person who played the grandma, I ate. I became the wolf, a predator, to shield myself from what my role demanded. My emotions were cut off, I couldn't escape it. I resigned myself to my fate. I told myself that I would spend the rest of my life playing the wolf. I lost myself completely.

"Then you came along. Just your presence alone was enough to bring me back to myself. I hated you for that. I had spent so long trying to hide inside the character, and all you had to do was show up and BAM I was back to being fully aware.

"I kept telling myself that it wasn't real. None of this was real and that I wasn't really doing any harm to anyone. I was only playing a role. Once the curse reset itself, those people I had eaten would come back and they'd be alright. It wasn't until after you broke the curse and those people never came back, that I learned the truth. I had killed them all."

"Chord," even though I spoke softly, he cringed when I said his name, "if anyone's strong here, it's you. You've been carrying this burden around for so long without so much as a word about it. That's enough to drive anyone mad."

It was my turn to reach over and take his hand. He tried to pull away, but I held it firmly.

"Whether you like it or not, we're in this together. You and me, Pal. You told me once that you didn't expect me to trust you, that you didn't need me to. Well I'm telling you now that I do trust you."

"A horrible decision."

"Maybe," I shrugged, "but whether I'm crazy or not, that doesn't change the fact that it's true. Look, if you were going to hurt me, you would have done it by now. You want to save everyone just as badly as I do. You never would have sought me out if you didn't. That alone proves you're a good person.

"It might not be much of one, but you've been handed a second chance. Just by coming here and playing the role beside me, that's a huge step. You can make a difference, Chord. Together, you and I can set this right. We'll defeat Iris and Isis. I'll get to bash Colton on the head for good measure, and then we can all go home."

He smiled at me gratefully. "You don't normally do the whole 'inspirational speech' thing, do you?"

"Was it that bad?"

Chord laughed and got to his feet, then he reached down and helped me up. "Nah, but it could use some work."

He looked ahead and I saw a new spark in his eyes. "You're right though. We need to start working together. As hard as it is, we need to trust each other. Maybe, just maybe, we'll get out of this alive."

"I don't think it's me who needs to work on their inspirational speeches." I mocked.

"Shut up, Bauer." He shoved me playfully. "Now let's get home before our lovely parents begin to worry."

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 **So now you know who Chord really is! I think Taryn handled that pretty well lol**


	13. Chapter 12

**Hehe Taryn's in for the ride of her life**

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When we finally reached the small cottage, Chord and I tried our best to act excited. The father rejoiced in our return and happily accepted the gifts of precious jewels from our pockets. The wife however, well she had passed away.

"I guess I sorta forgot about that part." Chord said, scratching his head.

I rolled my eyes at him but grinned. "Look who doesn't know their tales now."

"Shut up, Bauer."

The tale ended quickly after. The father prepared us a decent sized meal from the food that was left in the house and that night, after we had all gone to bed, the tale switched.

When I opened my eyes, I was no longer in the little cottage. Instead, I was crouched down next to an open doorway. I was a little disoriented from having just been in bed that I nearly fell over. I somehow managed to stay on my feet.

There were two people inside. They were arguing. From the sound of it, one was much younger than the other.

"But Mother! It is unfair! Why must that witch of a sister have everything that I can not? Is it not enough that she is so much prettier than me? I will have to live in her shadow all my life!" She sounded like a spoiled brat. She was on the verge of tears, but I knew it was only a ploy to get her way.

"Hush child," The mother scolded, "she may hear you."

"What do I care? She knows I hate her. She is not my true sister. She's not even your real daughter! Why do you treat her with more respect than me?"

"I do not!" The mother protested, but the daughter wasn't listening.

"If you truly loved me, you would give me that beautiful blue apron. It does not deserve to be worn by the likes of her. It would be far more befitting for me."

"I agree with you my dear, but she is not likely going to simply give it up."

The daughter groaned. "But mother, you promised!"

"Hush now child. I made a promise and I intend to keep it. The wretched girl has lived far too long anyway. Death will be happy to greet her."

My mouth felt dry. I didn't know who these people were, or which tale I was in, but I knew I didn't like them. Who plots to kill their own daughter? Even if she was only a step-daughter. I tried to remember which tale these events belonged in, but I couldn't think of anything. This was all new to me. Perfect. So I had no idea where I was, or how I was going to get out. I'd have to find Chord and see if he knew anything about this.

"Really mother? You would do that for me?"

I wanted to scream at her that it wasn't an act of love. The mother was planning on killing someone. Wasn't the proper reaction for that somewhere along the lines of, "AAAGGGGHHHHH"?

"For you my beautiful daughter? Anything." The old lady cooed.

I dared a glance into the room. I nearly choked when I saw her. Beautiful was the exaggeration of the year. The girl was at least seven feet tall and her face was so covered in warts and boils that I could hardly make out her features. She had slitted black eyes and thin lips that she kept pursed together. Either that was a wart, or her nose was really off center. Her hair was piled on top of her head half-hazardly.

The girl's arms were about twice as long as her legs and her hands dragged the ground. She wore a simple brown dress that barely came to her knees and thin brown slippers that didn't cover her large feet.

The woman in front of her wasn't much better. Her arms were normal length and she was considerably shorter, but her face was much like her daughters. Not as many warts and her nose was in the right place, but there was definitely a family resemblance.

"Tonight, when you both lay down for bed, be sure to sleep on the far side, against the wall. Force the other one to sleep on the edge of the bed and then I will know which one she is. I will use your father's old axe and sever her head. This way, there will be no way you will not have what you desire."

I cringed and rubbed my neck. Beheading wasn't my idea of fun. What kind of a twisted tale had we found ourselves in this time?

"I will do as you ask." The daughter replied. She sounded pleased with herself.

"Of course you will," I muttered under my breath as I crept away from the door. Whoever that poor girl was, she was about to have the night of her life.

That's when I realized my doom. I was the step-daughter. The elegant blue apron was tied around my waist. I was wearing a simple white dress and my feet were bare. I groaned. What was it with the curse and refusing to give me shoes?

I really didn't like the idea of getting my head chopped off. My mind raced as I struggled to remember which tale it was. It didn't seem familiar at all. I wasn't even sure I'd even heard it before. I had 'The Essential Grimm's Fairy Tales' back home, but I never actually read the entire thing. Most of the tales were so depressing and ended with people dying. I had never really appreciated them until now, when they had literally become my life.

My only hope was that I would somehow be able to find Chord before all that went down. Maybe he would know where we were or how the tale went. At least then I would know if I was meant to die or not.

The rest of the evening, I found it nearly impossible to sit still. I had just found out that my so-called 'family' was planning on killing me. But something was off. I could feel it. Something told me that it was really the other girl's life that was in danger. It didn't make any sense, but I knew I had to try and stop the mother. Whatever was going to happen tonight, it wasn't going to end well for the daughter.

"Quit moping around, child," the woman scolded, "hurry and help us clean up after supper. You are a part of this household. You are required to pull your own weight in chores."

I looked up from my plate, the food untouched, and blinked at her. "What?"

"What is the matter with you girl? You haven't even touched your supper. Do not tell me you are growing ill. I will not have another epidemic. I simply won't allow it. The last time someone became ill, the entire town was shut down." She shook her head. "It just simply won't do."

"But I'm not sick?" I hadn't been paying attention and honestly had no idea what she was going on about? Had she said something about an epidemic? Wonderful. That's just what I needed.

"You look pale enough. Perhaps it would be best if you went to bed now. I suppose I can manage cleaning up after you tonight. Your sister has already cleaned up and retired for the night. Go join her. I will be by to check on the both of you in a while."

"You mean 'kill us'..."

"What was that girl?" She snapped. "Speak up! Do not mumble so much. How is anyone supposed to understand what you are saying?"

Just to annoy her, I mumbled a few choice words in her direction and left the room. The bedroom wasn't hard to find. There were only four rooms in the small house. The kitchen, two bedrooms and what appeared to be some sort of storage room.

The room was barely large enough for the bed. There was nothing else in there. The sister had her back pressed again the far wall and she was sleeping soundly. The soft snoring proved that much. She had left plenty of room for me to crawl into bed next to her.

I remembered what the old woman had said about chopping my head off. Suddenly, crawling into bed didn't seem like such a good idea. There was no way I was letting that woman chop my head off. I was rather fond of my head and preferred to keep it on my shoulders.

I stood there for a while, just staring at the sleeping girl. I had a sudden urge to reach over and roll her over to the other side of the bed. It would have been easy enough to do. Then it would be her head that got removed and not mine. She deserved it right? She was the one plotting my death after all.

Wow...where had that come from? Sure I'd always had a temper and I didn't mind knocking people around every once in a while when they really deserved it, but I wasn't a killer. It had to have been the magic of the curse working in me. At least, that's what I tried to convince myself. As said before, I had no idea what this tale was or how it went. What I did know was that there was no way I was going to let either of us die tonight. I was there to save them, and that was exactly what I was going to do.

The curse must have gotten tired of waiting for me to come up with a plan because the girl rolled over in her sleep. She stretched and sighed, now on the opposite side of the bed. If the old woman were to come in then, she'd be a dead girl. I couldn't let her stay there.

I rolled my eyes, trying to keep from getting too frustrated and rolled her back over. The girl was an incredibly hard sleeper. Even when I accidentally rolled her too far, and her head hit the wall, she only moaned and smacked her lips in her sleep.

The curse was determined to play out the way it wanted to. The girl kept rolling back over to the other side, no matter how many times I rolled her back. Frustrated, I stuffed both our pillows under the blanket to make it appear as if there was a person sleeping there. Then I sat on the ugly girl. She groaned, but didn't wake up.

It wasn't long after that the woman entered the room. I quickly laid down beside the girl, on the side next to the pillows to keep her from rolling over and getting killed. It wasn't easy. She fought and pushed against the me the entire time.

The old woman limped into the room, an axe hung limply in her right hand. It was a scene straight out of a horror film. Slowly, she reached out with her left hand and patted the pillows lightly. An evil smile formed on her lips. Clutching the axe with both hands, she swung it with more force than should have been possible for an old woman.

The deadly sharp blade sliced through the air and slashed the pillow like butter. I felt the blade graze my cheek. The same exact spot where the scars were from the monkey. I winced but bit my tongue to keep from making a sound.

Satisfied, the woman hefted the axe over her shoulder and limped back out of the room. It was then that I realized I wasn't breathing. I quickly released the breath I was holding and wiped the blood from my face. There was more of it than I expected. The cut was deep. The wound burned with a mad flame. I blinked back the tears forming in my eyes and scooted over to the other side of the bed, pushing the pillows off the edge.

Beside me, the girl sighed and stretched out. My entire body shook and my breathing was ragged. We had escaped death tonight, but I wasn't sure we'd have so much luck tomorrow.

I hated when I was right. It was clear I had messed with the story. The next morning, both the mother and her daughter were stunned to find me alive. The woman regarded me coldly. She sneered as her eyes fell on the open wound below my eye. She knew she had done it. In her mind, she had merely missed her target. She wouldn't miss again.

The daughter just looked miffed. She hadn't gotten her way. I was still alive and the apron was yet to be her's.

Even the curse wasn't sure what to do. I doubted anyone had ever messed with one of the tales like that. Completely changing the outcome of an event? Only I was dumb enough to try that. I had no idea what would happen. Maybe the curse would short-circuit and spit us all back out into the real world. Yeah, I know, wishful thinking.

I wished Chord had been there. He was so much more versed in how the curse worked than I was. I didn't know anything compared to him.

The day passed slowly. It was like the curse was trying to reset itself. I spent most of my time wandering around, hoping to find out where Chord was. When evening dawned, the events played out just as they had the night before.

The old woman made us both clean up after supper and then sent us to bed. The daughter immediately crawled onto the mattress first, taking the far side against the wall. Begrudgingly, I crawled in next to her. I had to find another way to escape the old woman's axe. I doubted she would fall for the same trick again. But I didn't really have anything else. I tried leaving the room at one point, but the door remained lock. I was trapped inside. Which meant all I had were the pillows. I thought about hiding under the bed, but that would have meant letting the other daughter die.

For a horrifying moment, as I laid in the bed staring up at the ceiling, I thought about just letting the woman do it. Letting her take my head would have been easiest solution. I quickly shook the thought from my mind. That wouldn't solve anything. Dying now would only mean that everyone inside the curse would be kept there. I was their only hope. I couldn't die now.

I was brought back to the present at the sound of the door opening. The daughter tried to roll over to my side of the bed, but I held her back. No way was she going to die tonight. Not if I had something to say about it.

I shoved her against the wall and pressed my back against her's. I held my breath as the woman approached. She reached out her left hand and frowned when she didn't feel anyone there. She reached further onto the bed.

I tried staying out of her reach, but it wasn't a very big bed.

Her eyes lit up with triumph when her fingers grasped onto my wrist. She pulled me over to the edge of the bed with surprising strength. I made a noise like a strangled cat as I tried to pull away.

"Lay still wench," the woman scolded, "so I can make it a clean cut."

"No thanks," I squeaked.

"Very well, but it would have hurt far less if you had chosen to be still."

My breathing quickened and time seemed to slow down. The woman raised the axe above her head. The daughter moaned, drooled and rolled over. I pulled against her hold on my wrist and used the momentum to swing my legs out, kicking her in the side.

She doubled over with an "Oomph" but kept a firm hold on my wrist. The daughter moaned again but stayed asleep. I took the opportunity and kicked the woman in the face.

She cried out in anger. Disoriented, she let go of my wrist and blindly swung her axe.

I screamed as it came toward me. I rolled out of the way and shoved the daughter back against the wall. Springing to my feet, I tackled the old woman. A foreign cry on my lips. We crashed against the door. The woman shook her head to clear the haze of her eyes and I scrambled away as she raised the axe over her head again.

I screamed again and threw my arms over my head in a weak attempt at shielding myself. A few familiar blue sparks floated across my vision. Before I knew what was happening, the woman was being thrown through the door by an angry hoard of blue sparks, leaving an old woman shaped hole in the wood.

My breathing was heavy as I pushed myself to my feet and slowly opened the door. The woman was sprawled on the floor of the bedroom across the hall. She was unconscious. The daughter remained sleeping on the bed.

I didn't know what to do. So I ran.

* * *

 **Thank you to Be Rose for sticking with me through both stories! You know, even if a writer only has one follower, it's worth every word written. So thank you so much! And to every other person who has read the story whether you fav/followed or not, thank you too! I love y'all!**


	14. Chapter 13

**Sorry I didn't get this up yesterday. Fanfiction wouldn't let me upload anything! Also, sorry it's so short. The past few weeks have been crazy!**

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The curse did nothing to stop me. I fled out of the house and into the night. I had no idea of where Chord was. There was no guarantee that he was even in this tale. But I had to try to find him.

I probably shouldn't have left the girl alone. She would probably need more protection from her crazy mother, but I had panicked. I didn't know how long the curse would allow me to keep messing with the story. It was pretty clear that the daughter was supposed to die by the mother's hand. If I wasn't there to protect her, would she even last the night?

Guilt gnawed at the back of mind, begging me to turn around and go back. I ignored it. I didn't want to go back to that place. The crazy lady with an axe was enough to keep me away. Two nights facing her had been enough. Just the thought of repeating another night like that set me shaking in my boots. Or lack of boots. Curse this stupid curse and it's obsession with keeping me barefoot.

I don't know how long I ran. I had lost all sense of time. My body protested against the strain, but I refused to slow down. I had to find Chord and fast.

Either I was supposed to run away from the house, or I had screwed up the story so much that the curse couldn't turn me around. Either way, I had to get to him before something bad happened.

About something bad happening? It happened. I ran headlong into another person. We both crashed to the ground with an 'umph'. I scrambled back to my feet so fast I nearly fell over again. Instinct told me to stay on my feet. To be ready to run at any given moment.

The person I'd crashed into was still on the ground. It was a young man, maybe a few years older than I was. He was ruggedly handsome, with a scruffy beard and a mop of dark hair on his head. He was lean but muscular. Against my better judgment, I found myself staring.

"I do apologize." The man said, getting to his feet and brushing himself off.

He looked up at me and smiled. I tried to smile back but it came across as more of a grimace. When he saw me, his eyes lit up with recognition and he rushed forward. He tried to embrace me, but I ducked under his arms and he barreled past. He frowned in confusion and turned to face me.

"Do I know you?" I asked.

He laughed nervously and studied me. "Don't you recognize me?"

I shook my head. "Should I?"

"Do not tell me that you have already forgotten! I am your sweetheart Roland." He smiled and opened his arms as if expecting me to run into his arms.

"Uh-huh" I looked at him warily. "So what does that make me?"

He shook his head slowly. "This isn't like you. Are you sure you are alright, my sweet?"

"Honestly," I shrugged, "I'm not sure."

"What has that evil witch done to you?"

"What witch?"

"The old witch! The very same one you've been forced to reside with all this time! Dear Lord what has she done to you?" He really did look concerned.

I had to bite my tongue from saying anything. She was a witch? Was that just this guy (what had he called himself? Roland?) giving people rude nicknames? Or was there truth to his words? If she really was a witch, I never should have left the daughter alone with her.

I groaned and beat my fist against my head since there were no trees nearby to beat my head against. Crap. I never should have left. Why did this always happen to me?

"My dear, are you sure you're alright?"

"I need to go back."

He nodded eagerly. "Yes! I was just about to suggest the same thing!"

"You were?" I grimaced.

"Why yes! If we are to run away together and be free of the witch for good, you must hurry back and steal away her magic wand. Without that, she is powerless. She will not be able to follow us then. We will be free of her wicked curse."

"A magic wand? Are you making this up?"

"Of course I'm not! Why would I joke about something as important as this? The wand is the key to our eternal happiness!" He took both my hands in his. "We can finally be happy! We can raise a family! Our love can never be stopped again!"

"Woah, woah, woah," I pulled away from his grip and wiped my hands off on my dress, "let's just get this wand first. Besides, I don't plan on raising kids with anyone."

His smile faltered. I cringed. It was the same expression August had gotten when I told him I had no intentions of ever having kids of my own. I had effectively crushed his dreams. (Ok, before you start freaking out, yes. August and I had discussed our future quite a few times. After officially being together for over a year now, and everything we'd been through together, those thoughts were bound to cross our minds.) August told me he had always wanted a large family, but just the idea of raising my a child of my own scared me senseless. Roland had the same defeated expression on his face now. It killed me.

He coughed and quickly plastered a smile on his lips again. It was forced, but he was trying to be nice. "You should get going before the witch discovers you are gone and goes looking for you. It will be easier to take the wand if she is not furious with you for running away. I have also heard that her daughter has been killed by her hand-"

"What?!" I nearly choked. Dread set in. I knew I shouldn't have left.

"Why yes, that is the word that is going around. I thought you would have known this since it was you she had been trying to kill when it happened."

I shook my head. It wasn't true. It couldn't be.

"When you take the wand," Roland continued, "be sure to drop three drops of the girl's blood throughout the house. When the witch calls out to her daughter, the blood will answer and it will buy us a bit more time."

"That is...disgusting." I made a face at him. "There is no way I'm doing that."

"But you must! It is the only way!"

I blew out a hot breath. I didn't like the idea of going back there or dripping the girl's blood all over, but it appeared I didn't have a choice. "Fine."

He grinned and gave me another hug against my will. "Return quickly my sweet! I can not wait until we can finally be together!"


	15. Chapter 14

**Once again I have to apologize for the late posting. I had this written and ready to go, but then my computer decided to go and delete all the recent documents I'd been working, including the chapters for my other fics (on FictionPress .net ) anyway, it's been rewritten and it's finally here! Enjoy!**

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When I got back to the house, I had to force myself to step through the door. I could hear someone humming to themselves in the kitchen, but there was no way to tell if it was the mother or her daughter. Whether the girl was alive or not remained to be seen.

The sun was only just coming up. I had to get back to the room before she called us down for breakfast.

I slipped through the front door, cringing as it groaned and creaked in protest of the slow movement. For a heart stopping second, the humming in the kitchen stopped.

 _Great,_ I thought, _after everything I've gone through and a stupid creaky door does me in._

The humming resumed but I didn't allow myself to relax yet. I now knew it had to be the witch in there as the daughter, if she was still alive, wouldn't be awake yet. The stairs were in the kitchen and our bedroom was on the second floor. And don't even try to tell me, because I had already tried the outside windows. They were too high to reach from the ground, the house was impossible to climb up and of course there was nothing to help boost me up. The curse was making sure I went through the house. Talk about an impossible task.

I crossed the small family room in three strides and found myself crouching down in the same spot I'd started the tale in. The old woman was merrily bouncing around the kitchen, cooking breakfast. No, not cooking. She was using magic. Her silvery wand was clutched in her hands. She tapped a loaf of bread and it immediately sliced itself into even pieces. Again she tapped it and each slice was toasted to perfection. Another tap from her wand sent the butter into action. Each slice of toast was coated in butter within seconds.

 _Cheater_

Well, at least I'd managed to locate the wand. Now I only had to find a way to get it away from her without dying. Of course it would be best if I could snatch the wand and get up the stairs before she noticed me, but I knew that pretty much impossible. I'd have to find another way to do things.

Fate smiled down on me then. The pan on the stove caught fire. The witch shouted in surprise, dropped her wand and ran to the stove. Personally, I would have kept the wand. Cleaning up that mess would have been a lot easier, not to mention safer, with the help of magic. Instead of pointing this out to her though, I shrugged and seized my chance. If she wanted to battle the flames singlehandedly, she could be my guest. I wasn't going to stop her.

As the old woman cursed and fought with the flames, I raced through the door, snatched the wand off the floor and clambered up the stairs. I wasn't exactly silent in the process, but the witch was too distracted to pay me any attention. I didn't breathe again until I was back in the tiny bedroom and had closed the door.

"You came back."

I spun around to find the daughter sitting cross-legged on the bed. Her beady black eyes stared at me in disbelief.

"You're alive." I said in equal disbelief.

She lowered her eyes. "Barely. I wasn't sure I'd survive if you didn't come back."

"Nah," I waved off the comment, "I wouldn't leave you to deal with the crazy witch alone. I've dealt with wackos worse than her before."

She managed a small smile. "The curse made you come back."

"Maybe."

"It's ok. Even if she had killed me, I would just revive again tomorrow. Play the same role again. It's the same thing day in and day out. I might be alive but I'm not living."

"What do you mean?"

Something inside the girl broke. She started sobbing and shaking. Words spilled from her mouth in a hurried jumble like she was afraid I'd stop her once she started. "This! Living in this wretched curse, forced to play an ugly girl destined to die. Before I came here, I worked in charity hospital. We went around and offered services to the homeless and needy. I'd never wish death on anyone, but my character plots your character's death every day. It's driving me mad. I don't know whether to scream or cry or punch a wall."

"I suggest all three." I offered. "It covers all the bases. Look, we're going to get you out of here. That's why I'm here. There are so many just like you. Their lives have all been stolen from them and I'm going to get them back."

She cracked a smile. "You're the first person to care about my life. No one has ever tried to save me before. I know I'll just regenerate and do it all over again, but it was nice of you to think of me."

"No one deserves to be beheaded every day. Besides, it didn't seem right to have you die in my place. I hate sacrifices like that."

"Who are you?" The girl asked in awe. "You're nothing like the other girls who come through here."

"The name's Taryn." I said, sticking out my chest.

" _The_ Taryn?" Her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

"That would be me. Taryn's the name, destroying curses and kicking douches is the game."

She giggled in delight. "I never thought I'd get to meet you! Chord told me we'd meet someday but I didn't believe him. He also told me you'd be a creepy weirdo who walked around throwing insults at everyone you met."

I opened my mouth to defend myself, but then just shrugged. "Yeah, that's pretty accurate."

"You aren't going to start insulting me too, are you? You don't seem like the kind of girl to do that."

"Nah, I only insult those who deserve it. Like my boyfriend. He always deserves it."

She laughed. "You have a boyfriend?"

"Are you surprised? I mean, I know I'm not the most lovable person, but everyone deserves love right?"

She shook her head. "Oh no! That's not what I meant. I'm not surprised at all. You seem like a great girl. I just love that sort of thing, you know? I wish I had a boyfriend." She sighed wistfully and stared out her window and I had a feeling she was thinking of someone in particular.

"So," I said, breaking the awkward silence, "you know Chord?"

"Oh yes," she nodded enthusiastically, "he and I are quite good friends. He used to play a role in this tale before they moved him to a different one. I believe he's playing some sort of animal now."

"The Big Bad Wolf," I breathed.

"That's it! So anyway, he was telling me all about this heroine that was destined to break the curse and set us all free. He said the girl was clueless and wouldn't get anywhere without his help. You don't seem helpless at all. I can tell you're able to take care of yourself. I don't know where Chord is getting his information, but once he meets you, I'm sure he'll change his mind."

"Not likely," I said, "we're sort of working together now."

"What?"

"Yup, Chord found me back in the real world and asked for my help."

"Chord went back to the real world? But how?" She looked a little hurt that he hadn't taken her with.

"Now that you mention it, that's a very good question. I don't know how he got to the real world or even how he found me."

"He never even mentioned that he knew you." She grumbled under her breath.

"Yeah well, we've only been working together for a little while. He probably didn't know me the last time you two were able to talk."

She shook her head. "I talked with him yesterday. He should have told me! I'm going to have talk with him about that. Best friends don't hide those kinds of secrets from each other."

"You're saying he's here? Now? In this tale?"

"Yes! Isn't it wonderful?" She beamed. "I haven't seen him in several years, but he still remembered me." Was she blushing? Wait, did she _like_ him? "He even gave me a hug! Can you believe that? He's so sweet."

"Yeah, sweet." I was going to have so much fun teasing him about this.

The girl gasped and stared at me with wide eyes. "Oh my gosh. I just realized I never properly introduced myself. Here we are, talking about boyfriends and girl things like we've been friends forever but you still don't know my name! Can I be any more stupid? I'm Juniper."

I took her offered hand. Ignoring all the warts and the crooked nose, I could imagine what she must have looked like before. An innocent, pretty young girl that had been trapped by some cruel twist of fate and forced to play out the ugliest of roles. Literally and figuratively.

"I don't suppose Chord mentioned anything about the daunting task ahead?"

She shook her head.

"Of course not." I sighed. "Listen, it's a shot in the dark. You'll probably say no. There's no pressure. I'm not expecting much."

"You're making me nervous."

"Chord and I are working together to beat this curse. We need to find Iris to do that. You don't happen to have any idea where she is?" I wasn't sure why I was even asking. Why would she know something like that? But something told me I should at least try.

"That's easy. She's in her castle."

I blinked at her, shocked by the quick response. She hadn't missed a beat after I'd asked the question. "Her castle?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "You've never heard of it? I'm surprised Chord didn't know anything about it either. Although, I suppose as a predatory animal, he wouldn't be included in all the gossip."

"Do you know where this castle is?"

"Nope. No one does."

I groaned in defeat. Of course she didn't know. What had I been expecting? She wasn't just going to magically know all the answers to my problems and hand them over to me. That would have been too easy.

"But I do know that it's in every tale. The castle appears as something different each time to keep itself hidden from the rest of us. Sometimes it's a little gingerbread house, and other times it's a mansion in the woods. The castle serves as her HQ. It's where all the magic is produced that keeps the curse going. It would be easy to shut everything down if you were able to find it and get inside."

I stared at her in amazement. I wasn't sure what to say. Before I could say anything, an angry cry came from down in the kitchen.

Juniper's face paled. "Why is she so angry? I don't think I did anything to upset her. All my chores were finished."

I smiled guiltily and held up the wand. "This may have something to do with it."

Juniper scrambled further onto the bed and away from me and the wand. "You're insane. Do you know what she'll do to you once she finds you with that?"

"She doesn't scare me. I've taken down gun wielding psychos, poisonous demonic monkeys, and even Isis herself. Some old witch without her wand isn't going to do it for me." I crossed the room in a single stride and sat down next to Juniper as the witch called for us both. "Come with us. It's not safe for your here. We could use someone with your knowledge and you'd get to be with Chord." I added with smirk.

"Is it even possible?" She asked. "The part about leaving. Am I really able to leave this tale behind?"

I didn't have the heart to tell her that I had no idea. There was no guarantee that she'd be able to come with us. So I lied. "Oh definitely. Absolutely. No doubt about it."

She bounced up and down on the bed. "This is so exciting!"

"There's just one thing I have to do first. This might hurt a little." Taking her hand, I stabbed the point of the wand into her skin. It wasn't much, only enough to draw a drop of blood, but she still yelped and tried to pull away. I held her still until the blood was able to drip to the floor. Once it splattered against the wood, Juniper's voice rang out of the room and down the stairs to the which. "I'm here, Mother!"

"What was that for?" Juniper asked, clutching her hand to her chest.

I shrugged and stuck the wand in the pocket of the apron. "I figured it was better than chopping off your head." Behind the door, I heard the old woman clomping up the stairs. "That's our cue. Are you coming?"

Juniper nodded and took my hand.

"Good. Then it's time to leave." Before Juniper could realize what I was doing and could stop me, I leapt through the open window, dragging her with me.

She screamed as we fell to the ground below. I hit the ground in a roll and leapt to my feet. I pumped my fist in the air and laughed. Juniper hadn't been so lucky. She was lying on her back and her face was scrunched in pain. I cringed and ran over to her.

"Are you alright?"

"Do I look alright?" She said through gritted teeth.

I grimaced. "Come on, I'll carry you, but we have to get out of here."

I managed to help her up onto her feet and then hoisted her onto my back. She clung to my neck and I stuck my tongue out at the witch who was leaning out the window, shouting after us. Then I took off running back in the direction I'd found the man earlier. I had no idea what to expect next, but I had a feeling it wouldn't be great. Hopefully I'd be able to keep us both alive long enough to get us out of this tale, but first, we had to find Chord.


	16. Chapter 15

We hadn't been running long before we ran into the disillusioned boy from before. His dark hair swept over his eyes like he'd just come from the beach. Muscles rippled underneath his beautifully tanned skin. I found myself staring again and quickly looked away. Curse his good looks.

"Him again?" I groaned.

"Who's the hotty?" Juniper asked.

"Some creep who thinks he's going to marry me and we'll have a dozen kids together."

Recognition dawned on her face. "That must be Roland. He's your character's sweetheart."

"Excuse me?"

"Your sweetheart. You know, your boyfriend in this tale." She clarified.

"I know what a sweetheart is. I was just hoping I'd heard you wrong." I blew out a frustrated breath. "Come to think of it, he mentioned something about that the last time we met. Does this mean we have to travel together now? Because I don't think I'll be able to tolerate more than ten minutes with him."

Roland caught sight of us and came rushing over. He went to embrace me until he noticed Juniper on my back. "Darling, who might your friend be?"

"This is the daughter of the witch. Her own mother tried to kill her, so I decided to save her life. You got a problem with that?" I challenged.

"Oh, no! Of course not," he cleared his throat awkwardly, "it's just, couldn't you have choosen to save someone a bit less . . . ugly?"

My desire to punch the guy in the nose almost made me drop Juniper. "Do not call her ugly." I said in a low voice. "She is beautiful in her own unique way. If you took the time to talk to her, your conclusions about her appearance wouldn't be so harsh."

"I'm sorry," Roland looked between me and Juniper several times, concern etched into his face, "you two aren't an item, are you? Have you forgotten me already?"

It took me a minute to process what he was saying. "Ew, dude! No! Get your mind out of the gutter. I have a boyfriend."

"Of course you do." He smiled proudly.

"Let it go." Juniper whispered to me before I could say anything else. "We have to get moving or the witch will catch up."

"You can not run from me!" The witch's voice rang out through the morning air, as if on cue.

"You've got to be kidding me! She's found us already?" I put Juniper down. If it came down to a fight, we'd stand a better chance if I wasn't carrying her.

"She has magic that grants her unnatural speed. I should have seen that coming. I'm sorry I didn't warn you sooner." Juniper cried.

"It's not your fault. We don't have time to cry right now. We need to figure out a way to hide from her."

"I don't think that's even possible." Juniper said.

Roland raised his hand like a child in class. I nodded, motioning for him to speak. "I might have an idea."

"Would you care to share it with the rest of us?" I snapped.

"Well, you have her magic wand. Wouldn't the easiest solution be to simply transform ourselves into something other than ourselves?"

"I - " Huh, the guy had a point. But could I even use it? Since Roland had suggested it, that meant it was supposed to happen, right? It was worth a shot. I waved the wand in a small circle. "Abracadabra?"

Nothing happened.

"Maybe you have to say something different." Juniper suggested. "Like the fairy godmother from Cinderella?"

"You mean, 'bibbity-bobbity-boo'?" I waited for a second, but nothing was happening. "This is stupid. We need a real solution." I said. "Besides, what we even turn ourselves into?"

Roland got excited and raised his hand again.

"Roland?"

"You could turn me into a small pond and then you could be a duck that swims in the pond!" He said with way too much excitement.

"Please tell me that was a joke."

Juniper leaned over. "I think he's serious."

"Of course I am!" Roland replied indignantly. "Here, allow me to show you."

I yelped when he snatched the wand from my hand. He tapped each of our heads in turn. I blinked and suddenly I was floating in a small pond. I looked down to find a chest full of brown black feathers and webbed feet. Beside me, an elegant brown duck glided across the surface of the water. He'd turned us into freaking ducks! He was so going to pay for that. He had better know how to change us back after the witch left or so help me, I would find a way to drain that stupid pond so he could never change back.

The old woman came to rest next to the pond. She looked winded from her chase. Sweat beaded her face, but she didn't seem bothered by any of that. Instead, she sat down by the edge of the pond and pulled a loaf of bread out from her sleeve. Who carries bread in their sleeves? How had it even fit in there?

She broke off small pieces and tossed them into the water. Was she seriously trying to lure me in with pieces of bread? Who did she think I was? A duck? Oh . . . wait.

Juniper started swimming toward the floating pieces of bread. I had the sudden urge to do the same, but I wouldn't allow myself. I flapped my wings and snapped at Juniper as she tried to pass. I wasn't about to let her get captured by the witch again. She'd never go back to that house. Not as long as I could help it.

The witch stayed at the pond's edge the rest of the day. Juniper and I hung out on the other side. I had tried climbing out, but there was an invisible barrier keeping us in the water. I was thankful for the waterproof feathers. As the sun set, the temperature dropped and if it weren't for the feathers, I would have froze.

Finally, she got to her feet and tromped back toward her house, grumbling to herself. Almost instantly, Roland had returned us all back to our human states. I had never been so happy to feel my own skin.

"We must hurry and be off before morning comes, for she will surely chase us down again." Roland told us.

Juniper nodded. "I agree with Roland. It would be best if we kept going."

I groaned. "Fine, but no more ducks. I get to pick the next transformation if we have to do that again."

Roland grinned. "As you wish, my princess."

We walked all night. I was so tired, I could hardly keep my eyes open. My legs were shaky and my mind had had too much time to think. Doubts kept cropping up. My fear of the curse itself had found its way back to the forefront of my mind. I had to do something quickly or I was going to go mad.

Conversation was out of the question. I had convinced Roland to carry Juniper for a while and she had fallen asleep on his back. Without her as a median, I didn't think striking up a conversation with the boy was a good idea. I'd probably end up doing something stupid.

Suddenly, Roland froze. I wasn't paying much attention and walked into his shoulder. Groaning, I backed up and rubbed my nose. "What was that for?"

Roland cocked his head as if listening. "She is drawing near. I can hear her magic at work."

"You can _hear_ her magic? Are you feeling ok?"

"We must hide!" Before I could protest, Roland whipped out the wand and tapped each of us on the head.

Before I knew what was happening, I was little pink flower, blowing in the breeze. I'm here to tell you, it is not fun to be a flower. I was fragile and easily broken, something I'd tried very hard in my life not to be. If I hadn't had roots anchoring me to the ground, the wind would have carried me away. Being bent over in the wind and not having any control over it is possibly the worst feeling ever.

I'd lost sight of Juniper. I couldn't tell where she'd gone and I didn't see any other flowers nearby. Roland had transformed himself into a musician. He cheerfully played his fiddle and skipped around me in a sort of painful looking dance. He had no rhythm.

The witch appeared then. She saw Roland dancing around me and her eyes narrowed. How the heck did she know the flower was me? Granted, I was the only flower in sight, and Roland was dancing around me like a maniac. Why didn't he dance away from me? Draw her attention the other way?

"Oh what beautiful music!" The woman gushed. "And what a beautiful flower. I would very much like to keep it in my house which is so grey and dark. It would work well to brighten the place. May I pluck it?"

Roland ceased his playing and dancing. He smiled at the woman and nodded. "Oh yes. Please do. I will even play for you while you are doing it."

Was he crazy? Someone kick his butt for me! I was going to kill him. What did he think he was doing?

I couldn't do anything. I watched helplessly as the witch shuffled forward with a hungry gleam in her eye. I couldn't even close my eyes. I wasn't sure I even had eyes? How was I even able to see? I had way too many questions.

As she reached for me, Roland began to play. That's when everything started getting really weird. The witch's eyes grew large and she began to dance. It was the same, pained dance that Roland had been doing earlier. As his music became faster, so did her dancing. She danced into trees and thorny bushes that I could have sworn hadn't been there a second ago. She danced until she fell, exhausted and unable to move anymore. She lay in a bloodied pile on the ground. Something told me she wasn't getting up again. Whatever that spell had been, killed her.

Roland restored us to ourselves. The fiddle he'd been playing became a very disoriented Juniper. So that's where he had hidden her. I was just thankful to be human again. I had the sudden urge to punch something just to prove my strength. I never wanted to feel that helpless and weak again.

Juniper staggered and fell to her knees. She stared at the witch's body in horror. I walked over and wrapped an arm around her. She leaned in and cried into my shoulder.

"She - she was never a - a great mother," Juniper sobbed, "but - but she was my only family I had here."

"She'll be back." I soothed. "She'll regenerate in the morning for the next round."

Juniper shook her head against me. "You don't know that. Things - things have been changing. She might not ever come back. She's dead."

I could have argued that she didn't know that for sure, but something told me she was right. Lying to her now wouldn't help. The most I could do for her in that moment was let her know that she wasn't alone. She had me and Chord to help her now.

Roland was the only one who looked excited about the new developments. "Our luck has changed! Isn't this wonderful? I must hurry and go to my father to arrange our wedding. Oh, my beautiful princess it will not be long now before we are one."

"I think that's the most disturbing thing you've ever said to me." I shuddered.

He rushed forward to kiss me, but I turned my head and his lips met my cheek instead. He looked a little disappointed, but shook it off. "I shall hurry back as fast as I am able. You must wait here for me. I will transform you into one of those red boundary stones so no one will recognize you, and it will be easy for me to find you again."

"I don't think that's such a good idea." I said, backing away.

"It must be done so no one else will be able to steal you away." Roland insisted.

"Don't you dare."

"I must."

"No! No, Roland. Don't."

He wasn't listening. He tapped my head with the wand and I was transformed into a large red stone. Juniper gasped.

"I shall return in a short while." Roland promised. He literally started skipping away but Juniper stopped him.

"Perhaps you had better leave the wand with me." She said. "That way, if something were to happen and we needed to run away, I would be able to turn her back."

Roland thought about it for a moment. "Yes. That is a good idea." He handed her the wand. "Take good care of my princess while I am absent."

"Do not worry." Juniper smiled. "She is in good hands."

Roland turned and blew me a kiss before jogging off into the trees.

Juniper rushed over and tapped me with the wand again, turning me back into a human.

I sighed and brushed the dirt off my clothes. "Thanks for that."

"You would have done the same for me." She handed me the wand. "So what's our next move now that we've ditched Roland?"

"We need to find Chord. You don't happen to know how we meet up with his character in the tale?"

She thought about it for a moment before answering. "I think you have to turn yourself into a flower again because you're so upset that your sweetheart doesn't come back."

"Why would I be sad about that? I can't stand the guy."

Juniper tried to hide her grin but failed. "Then Chord's character will come, find you and take you home. After that, if I remember it correctly, you hang out in his house for a while, doing his chores and cooking for him."

"Oh no way. I ain't doin' the whole snow white gig. Been there done that. _Never_ again."

She rolled her eyes. "Bare with me for a second. After a while, his fear will get the better of him because he'll have no idea what's going on. Then he'll summon a wise woman who will tell him how to break your spell. Then he'll return you to normal. You'll refuse to marry him because you remain loyal to Roland but you'll agree to stay with him in his house to continue your cleaning and cooking for him."

"Wait, I'm a flower the whole freakin time? No way. And that's how it ends? Really? Seems kind of lame for a Grimm tale."

"You'll be summoned to a wedding. Once there you'll realize that it's Roland getting married."

I interrupted her out of shock. "Wait a second, that slime-ball's cheating on me?"

"You're not even together. Why do you care?" She asked, confused.

"I know that, it's just shocking. Where's the loyalty? Where's the trust? Please tell me I get to punch him in the nose."

She shook her head. "You'll start singing like you've been summoned to do and he'll recognize your voice. He'll dump the girl he was about to marry and the two of you will run off into a happily ever after."

"Are you sure this is a Grimm tale? They don't usually have a happy ending." I paused for a second before shaking my head. "You know what? Never mind. Ending up with a jerk like that is the furthest thing from a happy ending." I groaned and ran a frustrated hand through my hair. "That'll take forever. We don't have that kind of time. Besides that, I refuse to be turned into a flower again. We have to find another way to locate Chord."

"How? Doesn't the curse keep you from doing stuff like that?"

I grinned. "You've clearly not spent enough time with me. I take pleasure in defying the curse. I'll track down Chord whether it wants me to or not and there's nothing it can do to stop me."

Judging from past experiences, I probably shouldn't have been tempting fate like that, but I never learn. I was about to find out just how much fate liked to prove me wrong.

* * *

 **Sorry it took so long to get up! I've been working on editing/revising the book I wrote for NaNoWriMo. With any luck, maybe someday I'll have it published! For now though, I'm happy just posting on here :)**

 **Review!**


	17. Chapter 16

"Maybe if you just turned into a flower for half a second." Juniper pleaded.

I threw my head back in exasperation. "I refuse to be a flower again."

"But we've been walking for ages, and we keep ending up in the same place. It's the curse. It's keeping us here. If we don't start following along with the story, we'll never find Chord." She reasoned.

I knew she was right, but I was also determined never to become a little pink flower again. "The stupid curse is just going to have to deal without a flower this time. I'll find Chord on my own."

"But how? We've already tried your way and it didn't work."

"What? You think walking around in circles was my idea?"

She shrugged. "I was the one following you."

I narrowed my eyes at the girl. "Then maybe _you_ should become a flower. Never again will I allow myself to be so pathetically fragile."

"But the curse needs a flower!" She protested again.

"The curse can live without getting a freaking flower!" I froze as an idea came to me. "Unless a flower is exactly what we give it."

Juniper got excited. "So you'll do it?"

I shook my head. "No. I just got done telling you that I'll never be a flower again. I'm talking about something different."

Juniper frowned. "You're going to turn yourself into a pile of baking flour?"

"What?" I stared at her a second. Was she serious? I couldn't tell. It was hard to read her expressions under all the warts and the crooked nose. "Why would I do that?"

"What other kind of flower is there?"

I rolled my eyes and stepped over to a nearby red stone. Similar to the one I'd been transformed into earlier. I wasn't sure this would work, but I was willing to try anything at this point. Taking out the wand, I tapped the rock lightly, imagining it as a pretty pink flower. To my surprise, it actually worked.

"That's your plan?" Juniper asked skeptically. "Turning a rock into a flower isn't going to fool the curse."

"Really?" I countered. "I've found in my time here, that if you're stubborn enough, the curse will eventually give up and take the next closest thing it can get to match the story. As long as I keep refusing to be turned into another flower, it should take this flower as the bait to bring in Chord's character." _I hope._ I added silently. I mean, the whole _being more stubborn than the curse_ thing had worked before but only by chance. I'd never tried to actually trick the curse into doing my bidding this way.

We stood there for a while in silence. I wasn't sure what I was expecting. Was Chord's character even human? How would we recognize him when he came? Would he even come? I had too many unanswered questions and they were starting to drive me nuts.

"So how long do you think we should wait before calling it quits and finding another way around the story?" Juniper asked. She was restless, shifting from foot to foot and fidgeting with her fingers.

"You aren't overly patient, are you?" I sighed. "When I said we had to be more stubborn than the curse, I meant we'd be waiting a while. It might not even give in."

"Don't do that."

I frowned. "Do what?"

"Talk about the curse like it's alive. It creeps me out." She shuddered.

"Iris' magic is insanely powerful." I said with a shrug. "There's a good chance she gave the curse the power to manipulate the tales on its own. I doubt she sits around all day monitoring the tales herself."

Juniper looked like she really wanted to object, but she knew I was right. "It's just wrong. A spell should never be given that kind of power. It's dangerous."

"Tell me about it. This round is different from the last one. Isis' curse was dangerous, but it was clearly her own imagination at work. I mean, a giant squirrel attacked me once. There was no denying she was controlling things. This time though, things are different. I can literally feel the magic pulsing beneath my feet. It's the very core of this place. The world we're trapped inside is raw magic. I don't know how I know, I just do. I've never been more certain of anything before."

"So, theoretically, if we were to somehow gain control of that magic, we would control the curse."

"Yeah, I guess. But there's no way either of us would have the ability to control that kind of magic. If we could, I wouldn't still be here."

Just then, Chord came tromping through the underbrush. He cursed as his foot caught on a root and he tripped. Thankfully, he looked like himself. I'd never been happier to see the boy.

"See?" I smiled at Juniper who was staring at Chord with heart eyes. "I told you I knew what I was doing."

Chord looked up and grinned. "Hey guys! Long time, no see."

"Only took you long enough to get here." I crossed my arms, trying to look annoyed.

He grinned that impish grin of his, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Sorry, I had a bit of hard time getting here. It seems _someone_ refused to play by the rules."

"Are you accusing me of breaking the rules?" I asked in mock surprise. "How dare you do such a thing."

Chord slapped me on the shoulder. "It's good to have you back, Taryn."

"Of course it is. You'd never make it without me."

"Hi, Chord." Juniper finally choked out.

I smiled when I saw her nervously straightening her clothes and hair.

Chord grinned. "Juniper! It's kinda nice being in the same tale again. Just like old times."

Her cheeks flushed and she giggled nervously. "It is."

I smirked. "So, Chord, your girlfriend here is pretty smart."

Juniper choked and sputtered at my choice of words and Chord's face had gone brighter red than a tomato.

He was able to pull himself back together and cleared his throat. "I could have told you that."

If it was possible, Juniper went even more red.

"She knows more about the curse than you do, that's for sure." I pointed out. "She told me where we can find Iris."

"What? Seriously?" He looked between me and Juniper with wide eyes. "You know where she is?"

"Yes and no."

"What does that mean?" He turned to me for an explanation.

"It means she knows that Iris will be in her castle, but she doesn't know where the castle is." I explained.

"I just know that it's in every tale. Which means it's here somewhere, we just have to find it."

Chord turned to me. "I'm guessing you have no intention of completing this tale."

"You catch on quick. So, anybody got any ideas? I'm open for suggestions."

We stood in silence for a little bit as we thought about it. I really hoped one of them would come up with an idea. Iris clearly didn't like us messing with things. Every time I tried to focus on our goal of finding the castle, images of August, bound and gagged, appeared in my mind. The more I thought about the castle and where to find it, the more prominent the images became until it was all I could see.

" _You can not beat me, Taryn."_ Iris' voice echoed through my head. _"You and your friends can search for eternity and never find my castle. The girl may know a lot, but she does not know enough. I am not like Isis. You can not outwit me. Continue to search for me if you wish, but their will be a price to pay for your actions."_

Suddenly, there was a very clear image in my head. August, lying on the ground, bloodied and bruised. I couldn't even be sure he was alive. My breath hitched and I had to force myself to keep breathing. There was so much blood. What had she done to him? I tried demanding that she let him go, but my voice wouldn't work. I was trapped inside a nightmare I couldn't escape.

" _Those who defy me, suffer by my hand. Isis may have thought she had you under her control, but I know better than that. You have a strong will, Taryn Bauer. You are not easily broken. You do not have many weaknesses. I must admit, I'm impressed. But you do have one fatal flaw. The one thing that grants me power over you. You are far too loyal, Taryn. Whether it is an old friend, or someone you've only just met, you will lay your life down before allowing harm to come to them. It is a noble trait, true enough, but it is also a disease. A disease that will bring your demise."_

I wanted to strangle the woman. She was going to hurt August to get to me? Of all the dirty, lowlife, rotten moves . . . she was going to pay.

She wasn't wrong. I'd give my life before I allowed someone I loved to get hurt. Maybe it was a flaw, but it was flaw I'd embraced. She wasn't going to make me feel weak. I wouldn't allow her to do that. One of the perks of growing up with Colton. I'd learned to hold my own early on. I'd relied on myself to be my own cheerleader and I would do it again. If keeping the others safe meant heading out alone from here, I was prepared to do it. She could have me, but she'd never touch the others.

Her laugh was like nails on a chalkboard. I wanted to punch her in the face so bad. _"As I said, your will is strong. I will take pleasure in breaking you slowly."_

Good luck with that. I refused to be broken. She forgot to mention that I was stubborn. If someone told me one thing, I usually went and did the opposite out of spite. This case was no different. If she was so sure she was going to break me, there was no way I was going to let her.

" _We shall see how long that resilience lasts."_

Her voice faded from my mind. I blinked several times to clear the image of August from my mind. He was fine. She hadn't done anything to him yet. That I was sure of.

"You're awake!" Juniper's worried voice shouted in my ear.

"Hey, Juniper, give her some space." Chord pulled the girl back from practically laying on me.

I realized I was laying down and quickly sat up. "What happened?"

Chord looked me over with concern. "You just passed out. Are you alright?"

"Well, considering I just passed out, I'm gonna say no."

"You muttered something about August and then you just collapsed." Juniper looked like she was ready to call 911 on me. "What's so special about August? Is it August now? I don't know. Time is hard to measure here."

I shook my head. "It's midway through November by now. No, August is my boyfriend's name."

Chord frowned. "That name sounds so familiar."

I shrugged. "You've heard my story. August was a big part of it. Of course it sounds familiar."

"No, not like that. I mean, I've heard that name somewhere else, but I can't remember where."

Juniper nodded along with a frown. "Yeah, I've definitely heard that name somewhere before. Isn't that the name of one of the Ingreman sisters' kids?"

Chord snapped his fingers. "That's it! That's the son of the third sister, right?"

"I remember now! What was her name?"

"Isn't it something like Ivy?"

She shook her head. "Maybe at one point, but she goes by another name now. Didn't her family disown her after she had her son? I'm not sure of the details, but she changed her name after that so people wouldn't associate her with them."

"Ok, hold on." I interrupted. "What are you guys talking about? I'm so lost."

Chord filled me in. "The Ingremans are made up of four siblings. You know three of them: Iris, Isis and Colton. But there was a third sister. Her name was Ivy, I think."

"Irene!" Juniper shouted, jumping up. "Sorry, I just remembered. Her name was Irene."

"Right," Chord continued, "so anyway, Irene didn't believe in the work that the rest of her family was doing. Some things happened, she had a baby boy and they disowned her. After that she changed her name and made a new life for herself. Rumor has it that her son's name was August."

I felt like someone filled my lungs with mud. I could hardly breathe. It all made sense now. That conversation back in the pub before Chord confronted me. The woman and the son she was trying to protect. She had mentioned being Isis' sister. How hadn't I pieced it together until now?

"Let me guess," I swallowed hard, "she changed her name to Sam, or Samantha?"

"That's it!" Juniper clapped excitedly. "But how did you know that?"

"I think I'm going to be sick."

"Taryn?" Chord reached out and put a hand on my shoulder in case I might topple over again.

"That August, and my August . . . they're the same person." I forced the words from my mouth, though they had a rotten taste to them. This whole time I'd believed that Isis had chosen August because we had hated each other so much. Now I knew she'd done it as leverage. I wondered just how much his mother had been involved the last time. How much of that magic had been Sam's? How was I going to tell him that I'd found out who his mother was and she was related to the person who'd basically destroyed our lives?

I nearly fell over again but Chord caught me and lifted me into his arms. Juniper was too worried about me to even be jealous.

"Come on," he said, "let's get back to my house. We can talk more there. I think Taryn needs to lie down for a while."


	18. Chapter 17

**sorry it's late but at least I got one up this week!**

* * *

Sleep had become a thing of nightmares. Literally. Every time I closed my eyes, I was bombarded with images of August all bloodied, bruised and barely hanging onto life. Aside from that, I kept seeing Iris' face and if that's not enough to keep you awake, then having her creepily, perfect voice consume your entire mind should do the trick.

I couldn't sleep. Every time I tried, I'd wake up in a sweaty fit. Chord didn't say anything but he continued to watch me as if I were a bomb waiting to go off. I hadn't told them about my dream (or would you call it a vision? I don't know) I had with Iris, or how August was in trouble. They had their own problems to deal with. I didn't need to add to that list.

Chord had taken us to his house and we'd been there for several days. He wasn't around much as he insisted on searching for the castle nearly every day. I wanted to go with, but when I mentioned it, Chord had given me a look of concern and quickly refused. He told me to stay put and rest up while he searched. Juniper had agreed to stay with me and make sure I didn't try to sneak out. I wasn't sure what the big fuss was about. Ok so I had passed out. Big deal. It wasn't even my fault. It was Iris and her stupid dream-vision thing.

Juniper kept the place looking clean and neat while I spent most of my time sitting on the bed with my knees pulled up to my chest. I was so bored I thought I was going to die. Just when I started thinking we'd be stuck in this stupid tale forever, things started getting interesting again.

"Guess who I ran into today." Chord plopped down at the kitchen table next to me, and downed a glass of water in three gulps.

Juniper brought out a pot of soup and sat it down in the center of the table. Then she took the seat across from Chord and began dishing out our bowls. "A talking frog."

He shook his head, clearly oblivious to her joking tone. "That's the wrong tale. No, I ran into Roland. Apparently, his wedding is coming along quite nicely. It's taking place in two days."

I frowned and took the bowl that Juniper was offering me. "What happens if we don't attend that wedding?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I've never not completed a tale before. This is all new to me, but I also ran into the old wise woman from the story. Apparently the curse was getting tired of waiting for me to go seek her out."

"So, the curse is trying to get this story moving whether we want to participate or not." I sighed. "I really hate this place. So, what? That leaves us two days to find the castle before the tale changes and we have to start all over again?"

"Have you had any luck tracking it down?" Juniper asked Chord.

He blew out a frustrated breath. "No, there's nothing. It's been over a week and I haven't found a trace of it. It would help if I actually knew what the thing looked like."

"Iris would never make it that easy. I think it's time I start looking." I said. "I can't keep sitting here doing nothing. It's driving me crazy."

"And what happens if you black out again?" Chord countered through a mouthful of soup.

Juniper reached across the table and smacked him with her spoon. "Swallow before you speak. That's disgusting."

His cheeks flushed and he quickly cleared his throat. "It's pretty clear that Iris doesn't want you snooping around. It's not safe for you to be out there."

I rolled my eyes. "I think I can hold my own."

"Taryn, you're the only one who can break this curse. Our freedom is riding on your shoulders."

"No pressure." I groaned.

"I can't risk having you get hurt over something as insignificant as this."

"Insignificant?" I jumped to my feet as my anger rose. "Finding this castle is literally the key to stopping Iris and you're calling it insignificant? How dense are you? You just don't want me to go out there and look for it. Well guess what, Pal? You can't keep me here. I'm going out there whether you like it or not. Too much is riding on us finding this castle for me to just sit here and do nothing. Too many lives are at stake."

Chord leapt up and leaned toward me. "I realize that, but without your help, defeating this curse is a lost cause. If you die out there, we're all doomed."

Something about the way he'd phrased that made me mad. He didn't really care about me at all. I was just a tool to achieve his means. I knew it was true, and I wasn't expecting anything other than that, but hearing him say it out loud stung. I was going to end up punching him in the face if I stayed, so I left. I turned so fast, I knocked my chair over and it fell to the ground with a satisfying crash.

Chord and Juniper called after me, but I ignored them. I needed to get away for a minute. Chord wasn't wrong. They were all doomed if something happened to me, and that scared me. I wasn't sure I could manage that kind of responsibility. I was accident prone. Bad things tended to happen to me. My ideas usually led to some bodily injuries. I would have given anything to have August there with me. He was good at coming up with ideas that didn't involve anyone getting hurt.

I was so lost in thought, I nearly ran into the old building. I scrambled back a few steps and had to crane my neck to get a view of the entire thing. I wasn't sure how I had missed it. The building was at least four stories, but it was old and falling apart. If you tilted your head at the right angle, it kinda looked like a giant gingerbread house. The reddish-brown bricks were crumbling and giving way. White-turned-yellow shutters hung limply off their hinges in nearly every one of the six windows. If I had bumped into it, the whole thing probably would have come down.

"Well that looks safe." I said to no one since I was alone. Or I thought I was alone, until someone answered.

"Are you blind? That place is about to come down." Isis' voice was unmistakable. Although she sounded freakishly like her sister, I'd recognize her anywhere.

I jolted away from the deranged woman so fast, I tripped and fell through some of the boards on the side of the house.

"It's a really good thing this building is supported by magic or you'd be buried right now."

I spat dirt from my mouth and quickly got back to my feet. "What are you doing here Isis? Aren't you supposed to be in jail?" I scrambled out of the building and glared at the woman who'd caused me so much grief. "And what do you mean it's supported by magic?"

Her hair was pulled back into a simple braid and her makeup was kept to a minimum. It was a good look for her. Her blue eyes seemed to be softer than they were before, more vulnerable. Maybe her time in jail had done her some good.

She straightened her pink blouse, "I was let out early for good behavior. As for the house, welcome to Iris' castle. Why anyone would want a castle that looks like this, even if it is just an illusion, I have no idea. The place is a dump."

I looked from the massive, crumbling house back to the witch. "Why am I having a hard time believing you? What are you doing here? Why don't you go back inside whatever hole you crawled out of."

She sighed. "I'm only here to warn you."

"Warn me? You're kidding me, right?"

"Do not continue searching for my sister's castle. Even though you've already found it." She paused for a second, looking a little confused. "Very few have found it, and those who have were never seen from again. I would recommend not entering the building . . . again."

Maybe her time in prison had fried her brain? Was this even Isis? I wasn't sure anymore. She looked and sounded like Isis, but her mannerisms were all wrong.

She studied the house for minute before shaking her head dejectedly. "She should have some form of security out here. My sister is always so sure that no one will be able to see through her magic veils, but seriously, you almost walked right into it. It's clear that the building is emitting magical power. Even _you_ could have picked up on that eventually. A giant, killer squirrel would have added a nice touch."

And there it was. All doubts vanished. This was definitely Isis.

"I'm not an ordinary person." I countered. "I'm hard to kill. Remember? You've tried."

Isis winced. "Yes, well, I only did those things because I knew you would come out of it alive."

I seriously wanted to punch her. "Are you trying to tell me that you never wanted to kill me? That's a load of crap. I ought to kill you right now for everything you've done to me and my family."

"Look, my point is, life would be so much more boring if you were to go and get yourself killed. I speak the truth when I say that I have never met a more interesting victim. It's quite entertaining to manipulate you. It's not easy either. You're a challenge. I know my sister well enough to know that is a large reason why she's chosen you to be her opponent. If you were to ever harness your abilities as a witch, Iris' own powers would be no match."

"I'm not a witch."

"Are you sure about that? Where do you think those blue sparks came from? The special effects department?"

Suddenly I felt really dumb. But how could I be a witch? Was that even possible? Didn't that require at least one other person in your family to have been a witch too? It was a hereditary thing right? As far as I knew, there was no one in my family with those powers.

"Oh please," Isis waved me off like she knew what I was thinking, "you weren't born a witch. My best guess would be that at some point during our time in the previous curse, some of my abilities were transferred to you. Probably when I actually made you a part of the curse."

"Please tell me you're just trying to mess with my head."

She gave me an apologetic look. "Afraid not sweet."

"Don't call me that." It was time to change the subject. I wasn't sure I could handle any more talk of me being a witch. "Earlier you mentioned me being an opponent. Opponent for what?"

"Her game of course. What? Did you think that all of this had some deeper meaning? It's a fairytale curse that can be broken with true love's kiss. If Iris wanted to cause any real damage, she'd use something a little more sophisticated. She's toying with you, Taryn. Get your head out of the clouds. This is all just a game. Start acting like it. Think like an opponent. Iris saw you inside my curse, so she created her own to draw you back in. She's finally found an opponent worthy of her. You have powers you haven't even begun to tap into yet. If you were even to unleash your full potential, Iris wouldn't hold a candle to you. Knowing that makes you a threat, which only makes the game more intriguing for her. But this is where my sister and I differ. I created my curse to detain you, to keep you from breaking your own family's curse. It was my role as a member of the Ingreman family. My curse had rules and guidelines. It was intricately put together and brilliantly thought out if I do say so myself. It was never meant to kill you. Iris however, she doesn't play by the rules. This place is nothing like the one you were in before. Raw magic is at work. She's enlisted the help of our other sister to perfect it. Be careful how you proceed with your plans from here on out, or you'll find yourself six feet under."

I looked at her with skepticism. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

She shrugged. "Iris believes the game will be over when one of you dies. I never much cared for my sister, but I would hate to lose such an interesting pawn as you. I wouldn't mind seeing you defeat her."

I shook my head. "This isn't right. You aren't on my side. You killed Alfie! It's your fault he's dead and now it's your fault we're all stuck here again. If this is really just a game to Iris, why is she keeping August? Why would she threaten to harm him if all she wants is me?"

"August is her bargaining chip. Her 'get-out-of-jail-free' card, if you will." Her attention drifted to a spot behind my head and her eyes glazed over. "Aww! Isn't the squirrel such a magnificent creature? Just look at the way the mother natures her child."

What was this lady's obsession with squirrels? It just wasn't natural. I cleared my throat and motioned for her to continue.

She shook her head, "Right, August. Got it. That boy is important to not only you, but also to our sister, Sam. Although, you've already figured that out." She actually looked impressed. "As long as Iris has August, she's able to manipulate you both. Iris doesn't play nicely. If you want to have any hope of beating her, you have to be willing to bend the rules."

"You have no room to talk. You held August's life over my head too. You did the same with Alfie and it cost him his life." I ground out.

"I've never used another person's life to manipulate you. Frankly, I find that to be cheating. Where's the fun in knowing your opponent's moves? It takes all the suspense out of it. No, that entire endeavor was my dear brother's idea. He and Iris have always been similar in that way. They enjoy the feeling of power they get when they're able to control your actions."

Something Isis said got me thinking. Iris was using August to control not only me, but his mother too. Which meant that I might actually be able to gain an edge over her. It was a gamble, but if I played my cards right, I might be able to pull it off. I wondered just how far I could push the witch before she started causing any sort of harm to August. She couldn't harm him to get to me without severing any ties she had with Sam as well.

Isis giggled. "I can see you already thinking of new solutions to your problem. This game is only just starting to get interesting. For now, I will be your cheerleader. You have me at your disposal now, Taryn. What you choose to do with that is up to you. For now though, I believe it's time for me to go."

There were very few times in my life when I'd been rendered speechless, and this was one of them. I stared at the witch as she disappeared. I wasn't sure I could believe anything she said, but something told me she was telling the truth. Or, at least part of the truth. Could she be trusted? Was that even possible? I doubted I'd ever trust her completely, but if she was willing to help me defeat Iris . . . _no_. I couldn't afford to think like that. This was Isis for crying out loud! She was cunning and manipulative. She couldn't be trusted. My friends and I would find a way to defeat Iris and return everyone to their real lives. We would rescue August and go back to living normal lives. We didn't need her help. The risk just wasn't worth it.

Still, a small part of me kept on wondering . . . _what if?_

* * *

 **Review! Let me know what you think of the new twist ;)**


	19. Chapter 18

"Congratulations!" Iris' voice ricocheted off the cavernous walls as soon as I stepped through the door of the castle.

Iris' spell had done its job well. Looking at it from the outside, I never would have guessed the interior looked like this. The gothic-style castle was the pure essence of elegance and evil. There's a reason most gothic buildings are associated with horror stories. It was terrifying. Intricate stone arches and domed, stain-glass windows gave the place a timeless feel. Like it had jumped right out of a fairytale (no pun intended).

Barely any light filtered through the colored window and only a few lights flickered inside. If Iris had been trying to give off a 'haunted' vibe, it was working.

"I must say, Taryn, I am impressed. Not many have been able to find my castle."

"Pfft. It was nothing." I scanned the room but I couldn't see her anywhere. I hated when Isis used to do this to me and now it seemed her sister had picked up the same habit.

"You are proving to be much smarter than I'd first assumed."

I wasn't a genius, but I'm pretty sure she just called me dumb. "It just kinda hit me. Like, BAM there's the castle! You really aren't very good at hiding it. The magical essence it emits is a dead giveaway."

Iris laughed softly and I couldn't help but be a little jealous. I'd always had a loud, obnoxious laugh but Iris' sounded like an angel.

"I will correct that, thank you. I can't have you popping in and leaving the curse, now can I?"

"Leave the curse? What do you mean?"

She sighed. "Perhaps not as smart as I'd thought. Allow me to explain it in simple terms. This castle is where all the magic happens."

"I see what you did there. Respect."

"It is my base of operations, but it also the link that binds the curse to the mortal world. Without it, we would all float away into a black void and never be seen from again."

I frowned. "Wait, so you're saying that we aren't in the curse right now? I'm back in the mortal world?"

"Yes and no."

"That's helpful."

"We are at a sort of halfway point. From this castle you are able to return to the mortal world, yes. However, it is still connected to the curse, which is where you'll be going."

"Darn right I will be."

"What?" That clearly wasn't the answer she'd been expecting.

"I'm not leaving without my friends. I promised I'd get them out and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

"It appears as though I have underestimated you. Your loyalty is truly something to be admired."

I groaned and threw my head back in exasperation. "People are always doing that! When are you all going to learn that you shouldn't underestimate me? I've kicked your butts before and I'll do it again."

"Big talk," she taunted, "but can you rise up to that statement? Can Taryn Bauer truly overpower the all-powerful sorceress?"

"All-powerful, huh? Why don't you show yourself and quit hiding like a coward. Then we'll see who's really all-powerful here."

"I am no coward." Iris replied indignantly.

"But you're hiding. Which automatically makes you a coward."

"I am not hiding!"

I smirked. It was as easy to get under her skin as it was her sister. If Iris was anything like Isis, I might stand a chance of beating her.

"Then why won't you show your face?" I called back.

"Because I am not truly there with you. One can not show there face if they are not truly there." She huffed. "If you are going to call yourself a sorceress as well, please try to make yourself knowledgeable in these things? It becomes so tedious when I am forced to explain it all to you."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm _not_ a witch, or a sorceress or anything else you want to call it. You all need to get off my back about that. Sorcery requires generations before you to have had magic. No one in my family did, so why would I have it? It's all in this curse. Put me back out in the real world and I'm magic free."

"Are you certain of your accusations? Can you be completely sure that what you are speaking is the truth?"

I didn't like the tone in her voice. It made me question everything I knew. Had I somehow become a witch? Was I really any different than Iris and her sisters? My friends, did they know? What if they were just using me for my powers to defeat Iris? Was that even really what I wanted to do? And what about August? Had he ever really truly loved me? Or was he using me too?

That thought snapped me back to my senses. August wouldn't use me. He did love me. No, he _still_ loved me. That was never a lie. Even Isis had admitted to that much.

I realized Iris had been manipulating my thoughts, forcing me to question myself. So I pushed back at her. If she was going to be inside my head, I was going to show her something she really didn't want to see.

I flooded my mind with images I could only dream about. August, safe and back in my arms. Chord and Juniper happy, together and free of the curse. Sam and August reunited in a tearful embrace. Iris burning up into a pile of ash. I'd seen enough gruesome deaths during my time in the last curse, it would have been easy to come up with something much more painful, but that scared me. I wouldn't let myself fall that deeply into the darkness. I had to keep some of my sanity in check.

"Foolish girl! Do not think that you can manipulate me so easily." Her voice sounded pretty shaken. Apparently she'd caught a glimpse of a few other ideas I'd tried to keep hidden. Like watching her dance in boiling iron shoes until she collapsed. Or getting eaten by the Big Bad Wolf. Images I'd never been able to erase completely from my mind.

"Did you like what you saw? I've got more. Please, feel free to join me inside my twisted mind any time you wish. Though I'd advice taking caution. It's wild and uncensored up there. I'm not responsible for any loss of sanity it might bring you." I grinned.

"You are a repulsive young lady."

"I try."

Iris took a deep breath. When she spoke again, her voice was collected and held the same tone of confidence from before. "It appears as though I will be forced to play by a different set of rules now. I can tell I will not be able to break you by any normal terms."

I shrugged. "What can I say? I'm not normal."

"As I was saying," she cleared her throat, "a new strategy must be set in place. One that will give you no hope of finding a way out."

I scoffed. "Good luck with that."

"I believe I already have found my solution. You see, what I saw in you mind taught me two things. I learned that you are an incredibly twisted young lady with a lot of baggage. You're mind is a dark and dangerous place."

"Amen to that."

"But it also your greatest weakness. You are scared of your own mind, Taryn Bauer. I saw memories and images you've been trying to suppress. You have a powerful will and a stronger mind. If I can not beat you using my own mind and powers, I'll use yours against you."

The blood drained from my face and I was finding it hard to breathe. She couldn't be serious. I mean, she was right, but that was just downright cruel. My heart raced and I had to concentrate all my willpower to keep from shaking. Force me to face any opponent and I'm fine, I'll find some way to beat them. It's what I do. But pit me against myself and everything blows up in my face.

"I can see that even the mere suggestion of it has sent you into a panic. Yes, I shall enjoy watching this." Her voice dripped with eagerness and malice.

"We're inside a fairytale curse," I countered. "How are you going to pull this one off?"

"I'm a sorceress."

"That didn't answer my question."

"I will send you into a tale where your imagination will be free of anything holding it back."

"Isn't that most tales?"

"Think about it, Taryn. I really shouldn't have to tell you where you're going. I believe you already know. What is the one tale in which your imagination rules? The one tale where nothing is as it seems?"

My mouth felt dry as I finally understood what she meant. I'd never liked the tale. The idea of that entire world being formed from your own imagination was terrifying. That and it was just annoying. I remember watching the film as a kid and being really confused as to why nothing made any sense. It wasn't until I was older that I realized she'd been dreaming the entire time.

"This is one tale I took directly from my sister's curse. It was simply too perfectly crafted to tamper with. And the best part is, you don't even have to leave this tale to get there." Iris said as the world began to fade. "The world is created from each individual person's thoughts and memories. Their strongest feelings and desires play a major role in how the world will be formed, and all I have to do is put you to sleep. I do hope you enjoy your stay. Although I would advise not angering the lovely Miss Queen of Hearts. She is a constant in Wonderland. The one person that everyone sees. And she has been cursed with a horrible temper. The last person who found themselves in the tale was beheaded for scratching their nose while the Queen was speaking to them. Of course, they simply returned to the real world. No harm was brought to them. You, however, have a much different story."

She didn't say it, but I knew what she meant. If I met the Queen of Hearts and managed to tick her off, she'd kill me, and I wouldn't be able to regenerate in the real world. Meeting the Queen would mean the end of the line for me, because we all know I'd find some way to make her mad. I'd probably just look at her wrong and she'd want to take my head off. I had to avoid her.

Something Iris had said earlier struck me. _All I have to do is put you to sleep._ Which meant I was going there alone. I wouldn't have Chord and Juniper to help keep me sane. It would only be me and my worst nightmares.

Panic surged up inside me and I bolted for the door. I had to get out of there. Maybe if I left the castle, the magic wouldn't work and I'd be able to stay in this messed up tale a while longer. It wasn't my favorite, but at least I wasn't alone.

But the faster I ran, the further away the door got. It was like I was running backward in slow motion.

"Running is pointless. The magic has already taken its hold. I am excited to see how you will play your cards from this point on. The tables have turned now. You no longer have the upper hand and if you wish to reclaim that position, you will have to outwit me."

"Yeah well, I outwitted your siblings. You shouldn't be too hard."

I wanted to believe my words. With everything inside me, I wanted to believe myself, but I couldn't. Fear overtook my senses as I collapsed to the floor and my eyes drifted shut against my will.

* * *

I didn't want to open my eyes. I wanted it all just to be a bad dream. I wanted to believe that I was sleeping in that ridiculously uncomfortable bed back at Chord's cabin. Juniper was in the other room, happily humming to herself while she swept the floors. I could hear the birds singing and the sun on my face. The images were easy to form and for a minute, I almost believed them.

The only thing that ruined the image was the biting cold breeze that swept across my skin. My eyes blinked open. I rolled over onto my stomach and almost screamed. Lying only a few inches from my face was a wolf. The creature wasn't nearly as big as Chord had been, but he was still big enough to enjoy me for lunch. His black coat shone in the sunlight and his head rested on his front paws as he slept.

I came to the horrifying realization that it was his breath that had been creating the icy breeze. I was pretty sure wolves didn't normally give you frostbite just by breathing on you, but I decided not to question it. If Iris had done her job right, this was all a fabrication of my own imagination. If I started questioning every little thing, I'd go insane.

Silently, I got to my feet and crept away from the snoring wolf. After I'd gotten a good distance between us, I allowed myself to breathe again. Only the first thirty seconds into the tale and I'd already given myself a near heart attack.

I took a minute to look around, which was a good thing. I realized that I was at the edge of a major drop off. I scrambled back a few steps away from the edge that I'd been dangerously close to. The drop was so far, I couldn't see the ground below and the clouds floated several feet below the ledge. There was nothing else as far as I could see. That didn't make me feel any better.

Deciding to get away from the ledge, I retraced my steps and headed back in the other direction. I crept past the wolf and trudged through the trees, only to come face-to-face with another drop.

Either I was walking in circles, or I was trapped on some sort of freakishly tall rock. I wanted to scream and shout in frustration, but I couldn't risk waking the weird ice wolf. Instead, I threw a stone as hard as I could and watched it disappear into the clouds. It wasn't overly satisfying. There was no loud sounds from the hard landing. Actually, there was no sound at all. It was so underwhelming, it only succeeded in making me even more frustrated. If this place was Wonderland, it was seriously messed up.

"There is no escape." The wolf's voice growled behind me.

I sighed, not bothering to turn around, as I stared at the place the rock had disappeared. "I blame Iris for this scenario. There's no way this messed up drop came from my imagination."

"Oh, I don't think you really believe that. Do you, Taryn Bauer?" The wolf laughed. "Are you so näive that you would believe such a lie? Wasn't it Iris herself who told you that this place is created from your very own imagination and memories?"

"How did you know that?" I finally turned to meet his startling red eyes.

"I know everything. I am a figment of your imagination, aren't I? I'm inside your head. Your memories are my memories. Your fears are my strength. I must say, this is strongest I have ever felt."

If all the characters in this tale got their strength by feeding off my fears and dark thoughts, I was in deep trouble.

"Does everyone start this tale by facing a death drop?" I asked, just to change the subject.

The wolf shook his shaggy head. "It is different for every person. I do not always appear as a wolf, but wolves seem to be a major fear of yours."

I breathed a humorless laugh. "That is the understatement of the year."

"Though from what I've seen of your past, I can see why. I am surprised you are so calm in your present situation."

The corner of my mouth twitched up in a smile. "Ah, see, this is where you all start underestimating me again. Here's how I see it. If this place is really controlled by my imagination, then I should be able to control the people, animals and events I encounter along the way. Which means, you're not a threat to me."

"I would not sound so sure if I were you." He sneered. "I may appear before you as a wolf, but I am my own character."

"Please tell me you're not the cheshire cat. I hate that guy." I groaned.

The wolf chuckled. "I suppose you could call me that. However, I am not beneath making you my next meal. I do very much like this form. Perhaps I will put in a request with Iris to have this be my official form. It's much more efficient for catching my next meal."

"And I suppose I'm your next meal."

"We are the only two up here. There is no way down. I see no other option but to eat you."

"No thanks," I said, "I prefer to keep my insides from becoming my outsides. I have weak stomach, you know? Seeing my own stomach might make it upset."

I looked down over the edge and my stomach did a few nervous flips. Would I survive the fall if I jumped? I didn't see any other option. I didn't have a weapon to use against he wolf. Even if I did manage to knock him down, he'd get right back up. I'd only be buying myself a few hours at least. No, my best option was to jump. My mind might have been on board, but my body didn't like the idea. That feeling I usually got that told me to jump anytime I was anywhere high up, had vanished. _Of all the times to leave, you choose now?_

"Do not be so foolish, girl. That drop will kill you."

I looked back up at the wolf who had crouched, ready to pounce. "Maybe. But at least it'll be a quick, instant death. If I let you kill me, I have a feeling it'd be much more drawn out and a lot more painful. I choose the drop."

Time slowed down. The wolf growled at me not to jump and lunged for me. I had a moment of weakness and faltered at the edge. I wouldn't allow myself to be eaten by a wolf. If I was going to go out, that's _not_ how it was going to happen.

Closing my eyes, I jumped.

* * *

 **Wonderland is going to be so much fun to write! Hopefully you're enjoying the story so far!**


	20. Chapter 19

I'm not sure what I was expecting. Perhaps I was waiting for my life to flash before my eyes. Or something or someone would magically appear out of the fog and save me. Or maybe I was just hoping I'd black out so I wouldn't be a witness to the final SPLAT at the end.

None of that happened. It was a little disappointing. All I did was fall. Vaguely, I remembered something about Alice taking a giant fall. Down the rabbit hole? Well this was no rabbit hole, but maybe it was my own twisted version of it. The drop hadn't killed Alice, so I prayed it wouldn't kill me either.

By the time the ground became visible, I was so bored that I'd taken up trying to do flips mid-air. It was physically impossible but that didn't keep me from trying. Maybe I could give myself super powers in this tale. That would have been cool.

Sadly, I didn't acquire any super powers. Instead, I'd been reduced to flailing my arms and producing a high-pitched squealish scream that I wasn't proud of as soon as the ground became visible.

The ground hurtled toward my face at an alarming rate. If I didn't do something, I was going to become a Taryn Pancake. As much as I loved the breakfast food, I wasn't eager to become one.

"Think, Taryn." I chided myself. That entire fall and I hadn't bothered to think of a way to survive the landing. Sometimes my own stupidity irritated me.

Before I could even begin to come up with any ideas, I was met with a hairy, pudgy little face.

"Hello, pretty lady." The boy soared past me, straight up into the clouds.

I watched in confusion as he disappeared. I was so shocked by his appearance, I temporarily forgot about my present situation.

The boy's density allowed him to fall faster than me. Within seconds, he was eye-level with me again.

"Hi." I said, still in shock.

"Pretty lady like to fly?" He grabbed my hand so we were now falling at the same pace.

My speed had doubled and my stomach crawled up into my throat as the ground drew closer. "What are you doing up here?" I asked.

"Flying," he replied simply, "look for bird. Found pretty lady."

"Hate to break it to you but we're falling, not flying."

"Pretty lady no like flying?" He looked genuinely upset at the thought.

"I prefer to stay on the ground. I'll leave the flying to you."

He grinned. "We go down. Put pretty lady on ground."

"Yeah, no kidding. So how were you planning on not dying from the fall?"

"No dying. Brother help Milo to fly. My turn. Pretty lady will not die. Mushrooms catch us." He smiled, clearly pleased with himself.

I didn't understand a word of that.

"Land now."

I looked down and a scream crawled up my throat. Green and purple blobs, which I assumed were the mushrooms the boy had mentioned, dotted the field of brown, dead grass.

Milo laughed and held onto me as we hurtled toward one of the purple blobs. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to brace myself for impact.

We landed so softly, I hadn't realized we weren't falling anymore until the boy spoke again. "Pretty lady open eyes now. Not flying anymore."

Hesitantly, I opened my eyes only to find myself sunk waist deep into the gooey blob. Neither of us seemed to be hurt.

"See?" The boy clapped excitedly. "Flying fun. No get hurt. Pretty lady not die."

"Milo!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard the other boy's voice.

"Olim!" Milo grinned and jumped off the mushroom to meet the other boy.

The two were identical. A mop of red hair fell over their pudgy faces. They were both around my height, but twice my size. They wore khaki shorts with bright red suspenders over an orange t-shirt. The rainbow shoes completed the picture. The only difference was that Milo had blue eyes and Olim's were green.

"Milo, did you find the bird?" Olim asked. He got the pen and pad in his hands ready.

Milo shook his head proudly.

Olim's shoulders dropped in disappointment. "No bird?"

"Better." Milo spread his arms out toward me.

"That is not a bird."

I thought that was pretty obvious.

"Our treasure hunt clearly says a bird. I do not see a girl on the list anywhere." Olim grunted.

"Pretty lady is better than bird." Milo said earnestly. "I will keep pretty lady."

Olim sighed in defeat. "Fine. You keep the girl."

Milo jumped up and down in excitement. "Yay! Milo now have pretty lady."

"Yes, yes. You always did have our father's taste in pretty young girls." Olim patted his brother's shoulder. "Now, let us go. We have a bird to find."

Milo ran back over and scrambled up onto the blob (it really didn't look anything like a mushroom).

"Pretty lady come too!"

I took his offered hand and let him help me off the whatever-it-was. "Where are we going?"

"To find bird for brother's list."

"What kind of list?"

"List for hunt."

"Hunt?"

"Fun hunt. Lots of prizes."

"A scavenger hunt then." I thought I remembered the other brother say something about that.

"No talk, just search. Find bird for list."

And just like that our conversation was over. The brothers weren't much company. They hardly spoke, except to point out random objects and deem them not birds. But it was better than being alone. And seeing as how I was lost and alone in this messed up world, I decided to stick with them.

"Your lady friend doesn't talk much," Olim pointed out after a while of walking in silence.

Milo shrugged. "Maybe scared."

That caught my attention. "What would I be afraid of?"

"Tiny door and cookie." Milo said like that explained everything.

"I really don't like the sound of that." I groaned.

"You are right, brother." Olim confirmed with a nod. "But it is the only way. We have to go through the little door to find the cat."

"I thought you were looking for a bird."

Milo gave me a sympathetic look and patted me on the head. "Pretty lady confused. Find bird later. Look for cat now."

"When was that decided?"

Olim shook his head. "You were right beside Milo when we discussed it."

"Oh," I hated that I felt so dumb next to a boy who couldn't form real sentences.

Olim froze so suddenly, I walked into his back. He held up his hand, signaling us to be quiet.

Milo swallowed hard. "Is it him?"

Olim nodded. "He smells your lady friend. We should have left her behind. The last time we ran into that wolf, he ate our big brother and our dog. Now he will surely eat us as well."

Milo looked like he was ready to cry. I laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. I prayed I hadn't heard him right, but if this world really ran on my imagination and nightmares it made sense.

I had a strange urge to protect the brothers. They had taken me in without a second thought. They didn't even know my name, yet they'd helped me. It was time I repaid the favor.

"You two go on ahead," I told them, "I'll double back and try to lead him off your trail."

Milo's eyes grew wide and he frantically shook his head. "Pretty lady no go. Stay with Milo. No get eaten." He reached out and pulled me into a bone crushing hug.

I landed with an 'Oomph' against the boy's chest. He smelt of Cheez-Whiz (and yes, I know what that smells like. The bullies at school used to find it amusing to spray me with the stuff whenever we passed each other)

"The girl is right." Olim pried me out of his brother's arms. "This is the best plan."

Milo started crying. "Milo wait by cat. Pretty lady find cat."

I nodded, trying to keep myself from crying. "I promise. Now go, before he gets here."

"You are brave," Olim said, "thank you."

I smiled at him and then turned and ran into the trees.

It didn't take long for the brothers to disappear and for me to become completely lost. I wasn't sure how I was going to find my way back to them, but I'd made a promise. I wouldn't give up until I found them.

I heard the wolf snarl and then he pounced, emerging from the brush in a giant mass of black fur.

 _Great,_ I thought, _It's the wolf from before. Of course it is._

I managed to leap back and avoid his massive claws. "Fancy meeting you here."

He spun and bared his teeth. "You will not escape me this time."

"Well, considering you'd probably still be stuck up on that ledge if it weren't for me, I think a thank you is in order."

The wolf scoffed. "I would have gotten down eventually. If that fall did not kill you, it would have been able to kill me."

"Unless I had cut down all the blob things that shielded my fall."

"I-" he froze, "is shielded even a word?"

I paused. "It is now?"

The wolf rolled his eyes. "You did not cut down the mushrooms."

"Are they mushrooms though?" I countered. "They look more like big purple blobs with no real shape."

He shrugged (could wolves shrug?). "I don't think anyone really knows what they are. They aren't even edible."

"Well that's a bit disappointing."

"Tell me about it," he sighed, "now back to business. You will not escape me."

I groaned. "I was really hoping you had forgotten about killing me, but I guess if you want to play it that way, I can go along with it. You aren't the first wolf I've taken down."

He laughed. "Ah yes, I've heard the stories. Rumor has it that you've actually befriended him now. You've turned him against our leaders."

"Everyone needs a friend. Even blood thirsty wolves."

"Noble words, but they will not be enough to help you now. I have not come alone. You made a grave mistake venturing into these woods alone. These trees are the home turf. As well as theirs."

My heart sank when I heard the screeching.

The beating of wings grew closer. The first monkey appeared on the lowest branch of the nearest tree. It bared its fangs and growled at me. I couldn't be sure, because I wasn't an expert on reading monkey facial expressions, but I was sure I saw recognition in his eyes. It was the same stupid monkey who'd poisoned me.

I was finding it hard to breathe. The scars on my face stung. Of course my stupid nightmares would conjure up the monkeys from my time in the Snow White tale. Only this time, I didn't have August to save me from their talons.

I was so dead.

"Yes, prepare for death. You will not survive long on your own." The wolf growled.

"Then it is a good thing she isn't alone."

Time slowed down. All other sounds were drowned out. Tears clouded my vision but this time I didn't bother blinking them away.

"August," I breathed.

He winked at me and then turned his attention back to the wolf. "I fear it's you my friend who needs to prepare yourself for death."

"Who is your friend?" The wolf sounded amused.

"My name is August, but don't bother remembering the name. You won't be able to soon enough."

"You do realize that another human will not help you." He tilted his head toward me. "It would have been wiser to send someone with magical abilities."

"You mean like me?" I grinned and stepped up next to August, suddenly feeling braver and more confident. "Iris herself called me a witch. Is that enough for you?"

August gave me a weird look, but he quickly turned his attention back to the wolf. "You wanted a magical duo? You got yourself one."

It was my turn to give him a weird look. "You have magic?"

He shrugged. "This is Wonderland. Anything is possible."

The wolf seemed to come out of his shock. "The boy is right. Anything is possible. Even a wolf defeating two being of magic is not unheard of."

I made a sort of strangled squeaking noise as the wolf transformed before our eyes. He grew to twice his original size and looked like some form of man-wolf hybrid. His hairy hindquarters were all wolf, but his waist and chest were fully man. At the end of his fingers protruded deadly claws. From the neck up was where it started getting really weird. His neck was covered in coarse wolf hair, but his face was human. Except for the wolf's snout where his nose and mouth should have been and glowing yellow eyes. Wolf ears poked out from underneath his black hair which was braided down his back. If I hadn't been so terrified, I might have laughed at the odd combination.

August awkwardly cleared his throat. "Unless you weren't bluffing earlier about being a witch, I suggest we run."

I didn't hesitate. I grabbed August's hand, which was warm and familiar against my own, and tore off back toward where I'd last seen the brothers.

"So you were bluffing." August panted.

"No. I'm a witch. At least, here I am. I just don't know how to control it yet. Standing and fighting might have proved fatal." I glanced behind us to find the wolf-man quickly catching up.

I tightened my grip on August's hand. "Keep up." I made a sharp right, zig-zagging through the trees. If we were lucky, he wouldn't be able to make so many tight turns quickly with his massive size, which would give us the advantage. It was a nice thought. As it was, our luck wasn't that great.

Instead of weaving through the trees, Wolf-man plowed right through them. He took down the trees like they were nothing. It barely slowed him down at all.

"This may not have been the best idea." August said as if that weren't obvious. "Now we're the ones slowing down and he's the one gaining on us." He looked down at our entwined fingers and frowned. With a flick of his wrist, he managed to pry his fingers loose of mine.

"Yeah, I noticed." I said, a little irritated with him. Was he mad at me for something? Was he still holding a grudge that I'd entered the curse without him knowing? "Unless you've got a better idea, shut up and run."

"There!" August pointed toward an opening in the side of a steep cliff a few yards to our left. "The opening's too small. He won't be able to fit inside."

 _Unless he manages to turn back into a regular wolf._ I thought bitterly, but I decided not to dampen his spirits. That cave was probably our best option at the moment.

As we approached it, my heart sank. It was like an optical illusion. The closer we got to it, the smaller the opening seemed to get.

"I hate your imagination." August grumbled.

"You're feeling supportive today, aren't you?" This was not how I imagined our reunion to be.

"Try imagining it getting bigger. Or make a new opening. Anything. Just get us away from that thing!"

I bit my tongue to keep from saying anything else. Yes I was happy to have him with me, but he was starting to get on my nerves. I closed my eyes, trusting that August wouldn't allow me to run into any trees, and concentrated. I imagined the opening on the cave getting bigger. Not too big, but just enough to allow us entrance.

"Yes! You did it!" August exclaimed. He grabbed my hand and sped up.

We barely managed to dive through the hole before Wolf-man managed to grab us. He howled in frustration and I saw him start to transform.

"No!" I willed the opening to close just as he finished transforming and leapt for us.

The cave went dark and I heard a yelp from the wolf on the other side as he slammed into solid rock. I breathed a sigh of relief and slid down the wall.

"Nice moves." August said from somewhere to my right. I heard him shuffling around for a minute, and then the cave was illuminated by the light of a torch he'd managed to light. I wasn't even going to ask how he'd done it.

I smiled up at him. "Thank you. If you hadn't shown up when you did, I'd be dog food right now."

"Well, wolf food technically."

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Whatever. It's nice to have you back."

"Uh," he frowned and motioned between us, "do we know each other?"

* * *

 ***the normal side of my brain* let's bring August back into the story!**

 ***the writer's side* and let's make him not remember Taryn!**

 ***normal side* what? no. let's give them an adorable reunion with lots of kisses and cute otp moments**

 ***writer's side* more pain! more suffering! make August forget everything!**

 **I have issues lol**

 **Review! :)**


	21. Chapter 20

_Please be a bad dream. Please be a bad dream._

Ironically, this entire place was one big bad dream I couldn't escape.

"August?" I asked cautiously. Maybe it wasn't really him. Maybe it was someone who _looked_ like him and I'd be able to breathe again.

"That's my name. Don't wear it out." He grinned.

Several elephants had taken up residency on my chest, making it nearly impossible to breathe. I remembered when he'd first come to our house as a foster kid. He'd been happy and was always joking around like this, but that house had a way of sucking the life out of everyone. It wasn't long before we started clashing and he closed up. I hadn't heard him joke again until we were inside the curse.

"So, are you always that annoyingly frustrating, or is it just when you're being chased by weird werewolf things?"

I tried to speak, but all I could do was stare at him with my mouth hanging open.

He shifted uncomfortably under my stare. "All the time then. Good to know. Look," he knelt down in front of me and put a hand on my shoulder, "it's pretty clear you think you know me, but you must have me mistaken for someone else. I've never met you before in my life. Though I do know who you are."

I sat up straight so fast I knocked him over. "You do?"

"Yeah, everyone here does," August groaned and sat up, brushing himself off, "you're Taryn Bauer and it's somehow your fault we're stuck inside this crazy world with werewolf man. So thank you."

I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted to go out there and tear that wolf-man apart with my bare hands. I'd always had nightmares like this. I suppose it was no real surprise that it was happening. One of my biggest nightmares is what could have happened. What if August and I had never gotten closer? It looked like I was about to find out the answers to that question.

"So," I said, getting to my feet, "since this is all my imagination, I suppose it's my job to get us out of this mess."

"That would be nice."

I shot him a look that clearly said to shut up. Hearing his voice and knowing nothing was the same was like taking a knife to the heart.

I shuffled over to the back wall and placed my palm against it, while angrily blinking away the tears that clouded my vision. I was hoping to use the same technique as before. If I played my cards right, I'd be able to get us out quickly.

"What are you doing" He was uncomfortably close. I could smell the cinnamon on his skin. Ever since he'd taken that job at the bakery, he'd come home smelling like cinnamon every day. I loved it.

"What's it look like I'm doing? I'm trying to move the wall with my mind."

"How's that working for you?"

I shoved him back and heard him fall on his butt. I grinned in satisfaction and went back to concentrating on the wall. It was hard, but I tried to get August's sweet out of my nose. It kept distracting me.

"After you move this wall with your voodoo mind powers, what's your plan?" August asked, sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"Well, if I can conjure you up, maybe I can conjure up someone who will actually be useful."

"Coming from the girl who's trying to move a wall with her mind. If it weren't for me, you'd still be stuck with the werewolf and his weird flying monkeys." August countered.

"Yes," I said, sarcasm dripping of my tongue, "once again my valiant prince rushes in to save me from the monkeys."

"How many times have those winged primates gotten the better of you?"

I sighed as I remembered that he didn't remember. "Forget it. Now shut up so I can concentrate."

August groaned. "Oh for the love of - you can't move a wall with your mind."

I smirked as I finally felt the wall shift under my palm. "I wouldn't sound so sure if I were you." A section of the rock wall flickered and then dissolved to create a doorway just large enough for us to walk through. "I told you."

He got to his feet in shock, but quickly shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "Technically, you didn't move it. It disappeared. Which means I was right."

I glared at him and his annoying logic. "Just shut up and go through before it decides to close up again."

"Normally I would say 'ladies first', but you're not much of a lady and I don't want to be trapped in here so . . ." He marched through the doorway.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. Even after we started dating, he'd been annoying. That had never changed. I'd just grown to love it. Now that he didn't like me again, he was even more annoying.

"You are so getting a smack-down for this when I see you next, Iris." I promised and then trudged after August.

The brightness of the room blinded me as I entered.

"Well this looks oddly familiar." August mused. "Why do I get the feeling I've been here before?"

I blinked several times to clear my vision and as the room came into view, I forgot to breathe. I knew why it looked so familiar to him. He might not remember it, but this place had a way of putting its mark on the people who dared to step through the door. It was all the same. Everything from the leather sofas to the blood stain on the carpet.

"Who would have guessed that cave led right into someone's living room." August froze when he noticed the blood on the white carpet. "I really hope that's red paint."

"Nope," I shook my head, "Screw this. I'm out. I'm not doing this. Not this." I turn to march back into the cave but the doorway had closed up and I was met by our living room window. "Oh come on!" I turned back to find August giving me a weird look. "We need to leave. Now."

"I know that _looks_ like blood, but I'm sure it's not." He forced a laugh. "Wherever we are now, I'm sure it's perfectly safe. At least the werewolf isn't here."

I looked at the blood stain and then back up at August. "No, that's blood. My blood, actually."

He swallowed hard. "Please tell me you're joking."

I spread my arms. "Welcome to my childhood home. A place where dreams never came true and black eyes were a fashion statement."

Just then, the front door burst open and the familiar scent of booze wafted through the air.

I took a step back, years of instinct kicking back in. I wanted to run and hide, but I knew that wouldn't do me any good. This twisted tale would never let me escape our meeting. So I did the next best thing. I faced him head on.

"Who's that?" August asked.

My heart was pounding so hard against my chest, China could hear it. I wanted to run and bury my face in August's chest. Maybe if I couldn't see it, it wouldn't be real. But I couldn't do that either. Instead, I balled my fists at my sides. "That would be the man of the house. Let's go say hello. I owe our dear Mr. Colton a knuckle sandwich."

"Ok," August said slowly, "let's not go taking anyone's head off."

I turned on him angrily. "If you had your memory, you'd be right there with me, holding him down so I could punch his lights out."

"My memory? Wait, what?"

"Just shut up and stay out of my way." I pushed past him, my eyes stinging with tears I refused to let fall.

I met Colton on his way to the kitchen. His sneer was as irritating as ever. He didn't look at all surprised to see me there. "I was wondering when you were going to show up." He snorted and took another swig from the bottle.

August stepped up behind me. His presence was comforting.

"Do I know this guy?" He asked. I could tell by his expression that he was trying to place a memory that wasn't there.

"A memory wipe, huh?" Colton took another swig from his bottle. "Iris is starting to play mean."

There were so many things I wanted to tell the man but something wasn't right. I didn't like how calm he was. The last time I'd seen him, I'd managed to knock him out and get him arrested. You'd think that would give a person pause. Maybe he was too drunk or just too dumb to be cautious, but I didn't think that was it. We had to get out of there.

"We're just passing through," I grabbed August's hand and held onto it even as he tried to pull away, "I've got a curse to break and I don't have time to waste here with you."

Colton laughed. "You aren't going anywhere, Sweetheart." He spread his arms and staggered slightly. "Welcome back home, Taryn."

Normal people enjoy hearing those words. To me, it was a death sentence. This wasn't my home anymore. It never was.

"You can't keep me here."

"Oh yeah? That sounds like a bet to me." He grinned. "I think I'll take you up on that. Alright, Taryn. Let's see you try to leave."

"Fine." I turned to August who wore a carefully guarded expression. "Let's go, August." He nodded and I marched to the front door.

I threw it open and shouted in fear and anger. Behind the door was a brick wall. I ran to the nearest window and shoved it up, but as soon as it was open, a brick wall obscured the view of the street. I closed the window again and the scene reappeared. We weren't going anywhere.

Colton laughed. "I told you it was pointless! I believe I won the bet, which means you owe me Sweetheart."

"I owe you a knuckle sandwich is what I owe you." I ground out, taking a few threatening steps toward him.

He didn't even flinch. "You can't hurt me here. Go ahead and try." He narrowed his eyes in an evil sort of sneer. "I. Dare. You."

He was mocking me. I was trapped and completely defenseless in this house. August started to say something, but Colton cut him off. "Don't try to interfere, unless you want the same thing to happen to you. Go to your room before your presence can annoy me anymore."

August opened his mouth to say something but Colton cut him off.

"Don't worry. You'll know where it is. You used to live here, remember?"

August caught my eye once more. He looked so lost and uncertain, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he turned and took the stairs two at a time. A part of me wanted to ring his neck for leaving me down here alone with this madman. The other part of me wanted to reassure him that I had everything under control and that he didn't need to worry. I was glad he'd been sent upstairs where he couldn't get hurt.

Colton dragged me, kicking and screaming up to my old room. He threw me inside and I heard the familiar click of the lock. The jerk had locked me in my room like I was fifteen again. I pounded against the door, demanding he let me back out. I called out to August, but there was no reply.

I tried everything from attempting to break the door down, to using magic. Nothing worked. I tried the window, but it was stuck. I wouldn't be prying it open any time soon.

Eventually, I collapsed on my bed, exhausted. The room was just as I'd left it. I hated that. I hated being back in this room. I hated being back in this house. I hated that I could hear Colton down in the kitchen, and there was nothing I could do about it.

I tried with everything I had to change our location, but being back had dug up some painful memories I'd worked so hard to surprise. With those memories running through my mind, it was impossible to focus.

The sun had set several hours earlier when the lock clicked and slowly swung open. I quickly pretended I was asleep in case it was Colton. I didn't feel like getting a beating.

I breathed a sigh of relief when it was just August. Part of me wondered if that wasn't worse. It hurt being around him. I wanted to kiss him so badly, but I decided that might put a bit of a damper on the whole friends thing I was hoping to achieve.

I groaned and rolled over. "What do you want?"

He hesitated at the door before coming in. I listened to his feet pad across the carpet. The edge of the my bed sank down as he took a seat.

 _Give me a hug at least!_ I wanted to scream at him. Instead, I bit my lip and kept my eyes tightly closed.

He took a deep breath, like he wasn't sure about what he was about to say. "This place. I know I've seen it before, but I-I can't remember. It's like the memory should be there but isn't. You said something earlier about if I had had my memory, I would have wanted to beat that guy up. Why? Why does this place feel so familiar?"

I rolled back over so I could see him. "It's a long story that may very well blow your mind if I tell it to you."

"Try me."

"Fine," I said, sitting up beside him, "but don't blame me when your head explodes."

August cracked a smile and my stomach erupted with a million butterflies. I had to wait a full thirty seconds to get my heart rate under control before I could start talking.

"Alright then, I suppose the first thing you should know is that Colton is my - well I thought he was my father until just recently. This is my childhood home. I used to live here with my mom before she passed away. Then Colton moved in, using magic to manipulate my memories, and claimed to be my father."

"Why would he do that?"

"Ancient curse. An elaborate plan. Revenge. You know," I shrugged, "the usual. So anyway, Colton and his new wife, who was also a fabrication of magic, couldn't have their own kids-"

"Probably because she was a fabrication of magic."

"So they took in foster kids instead. You were the last one they took in. Eventually, I couldn't take the physical abuse anymore, so I ran. I suppose that was all part of their plan too. Isis, Colton's sister, showed up and trapped me inside a curse."

"Wait, wait, wait," August held up his hands for me to stop, "you're telling me magic is real?"

I gave him a look that said, _Seriously?_

"We out ran a Wolf-man, I moved a wall with my mind and you're asking if magic is real?" I lifted my hand and allowed a few blue sparks to dance across my finger tips. I'd gotten quite good at that part. The sparks were easy enough to conjure up. They didn't inflict any damage to the enemy, but they were pretty. Maybe Isis would give me a crash course in magic.

His eyes were wide as he stared at the sparks. "You're a witch?"

"In here I am."

"Where's here?"

So I told him. I told him everything. I told him how we used to hate each other and were always fighting. I told him about all our adventures we'd had together. I told him about Alfie and how he'd bravely given his life for the rest of us. I told him that in the end, he and I had grown a lot closer. I couldn't get myself to tell him we were dating, but I had a feeling he'd caught on by the way he kept shifting uncomfortably.

I finished by telling him how Iris had created this new version of the curse and had lured me back by trapping everyone inside again.

"We're currently inside Wonderland. A place built on memories and imagination together. Unfortunately for us, it's my imagination and memories."

I looked up from studying my hands and froze. The room was quickly becoming overgrown with vines and odd looking purple plants (those are always the worst). How had I not noticed that until now? "Um, we may have a problem."

August blinked as if coming out of a trance. "What's going-" his breath hitched, "oh. When did that happen?"

"It's Wonderland."

"That clears things up."

"Come on. We have to get out of here." I clambered through the tangle of vines to my door with August close on my heels. The sudden sound of voices made us both freeze.

August grabbed my arm, his voice tight with fear. "The Red Queen's men. They're here."

"How do you know that?" I asked, frowning. A minute ago, he hadn't even known we were in a curse. How could he have known about the Red Queen and her army?

"I don't know, but right now, we've got to focus on getting out of here." He pulled me back into the room through the ever-growing foliage and over to where the window was. It was a bit of a challenge but we made it.

He hurriedly threw open the window and leaned out, but I grabbed his arm to pull him back.

"We can't go out that way. It's too high. You'll kill yourself." I hissed at him.

"What are you talking about? It's only a small drop. We'll be fine. Besides, have you got a better idea?"

On the other side of the door, I could hear the men approaching. "I'm glad you men showed up," Colton said in mock distress, "having a criminal in my own home! I haven't been able to sleep peacefully at night."

"Don't worry sir. the Red Queen will have her head for what she has done. You will be able to rest easy once more. She will no longer be able to cause harm to anyone else."

"Says the guy working for the queen who takes everyone's head off." I scoffed.

August frowned. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Are you coming?" He held out his hand for me to take.

"Is it safe?"

He shrugged. "Probably not."

I grinned and took his hand. "Good. Things get too boring when they're safe."

August laughed, a sound that made my heart skip a few beats. "Let's get you out of here."

I nodded and together we jumped out the window.

* * *

 **Sorry I couldn't get this chapter up last week. I am starting another challenge for NaNoWriMo next week so updates might be a bit slow again for the next couple of weeks.**


	22. Chapter 21

We dropped maybe three feet and landed on a patch of soft grass. I was even able to keep my feet under me the entire time.

"What the heck?" I said. When I turned around to look back up at the window, it was gone. The entire house was gone and had been replaced with another dense forest and blue skies.

"Well would you look at that," August grinned, "now they can't follow us."

"I wouldn't sound so sure." I pointed above us to where a void had opened up. Colton and the Red Queen's men looked down at us in anger.

August pulled me out of the way just as the first guy jumped through.

"We've gotta go." He said.

"Agreed."

He took my hand and pulled me along behind him as we tore through the forest. It was like what I imagined running through a rainforest would be like. The humidity was so high, we were both drenched in sweat within seconds.

"Do you know where we're going?" I panted.

"No clue! It's your imagination, shouldn't you be leading?"

I rolled my eyes and went to shove him, but tripped over a vine instead.

To my right, I heard a sound that was suspiciously close to that of the winged monkeys. An embarrassingly high pitched squeak escaped my lips and I pressed closer to August as we ran.

He squeezed my hand. "I heard it too, but you're going to be ok. From what you've told me, I wasn't overly heroic the last time we ran into those crazy monkeys."

"That's putting it lightly."

"I don't intend to repeat that. I don't know what I was like when we met before, but this August isn't about to run out like a coward."

"How noble of you." I smirked. "I must say. I'm liking this new August, but you're still going to have to do better than that. By the end, you were the bravest person I knew."

" _Was_ the bravest? Princess, I _am_ the bravest, strongest and awesomest person you'll ever meet."

I laughed. "Keep telling yourself that. Maybe someday it'll come true, and what's with the new nickname?"

He shrugged and ducked under a low hanging branch. We slowed to a walk. I didn't think my lungs would be able to handle any more running. August was still holding my hand, which was nice. I'd missed the comforting warmth of his skin against my own.

"You played all the princesses in the tales, right? Only seems fitting."

I rolled my eyes as I climbed over a fallen tree. "You make a fair point. However, the nickname is still unnecessary."

"Whatever you say, Princess." He winked.

We walked in silence for a while. There was a sweet scent in the air that was making me feel tired. My legs shook under me, and my lungs burned. I wanted to curl in a ball under a tree and sleep for three years, but August dutifully kept pulling me along.

"Taryn!"

I shook my head and looked up to find that we'd stopped walking and he was shaking my shoulders. "What?"

His eyes were filled with concern as he looked at me. "You zoned out on me there. You weren't responding to anything. Are you alright?"

Just then, I heard the sound of voices approaching. I gestured for August to stay quiet. As much as I didn't want to, I released August's hand and crept over toward where the voices were coming from.

It was just as I'd suspected. The Queen's men were out looking for me. There were at least two dozen of them. Too many to take on by ourselves. Each of the men wore a suit of red with a large black heart printed on the front and back. A few were on horses, most were on foot and they all carried blood-red swords.

I looked down to where August was still watching me in concern. There were so many men down there. If anything were to happen to him, I'd never forgive myself. It was my fault we were in this mess. I had to get us out of here, and to do that I was pretty sure I'd have to visit the Red Queen. A crazy idea started to form. One that would probably end with me getting myself killed, but at least August would be safe.

August frowned and shook his head when he saw the look in my eyes.

My heart skipped a beat. He might not remember me or our relationship, but apparently he was still able to tell when I was about to do something incredibly stupid. Nothing brings people closer that psychotic ideas.

"It's the only way." I whispered down to him. "Only I can return us to our real lives. I have to do this."

"Taryn, don't be stupid." He hurried over to kneel next to me. His eyes scanned the army of soldiers before us. "You can't turn yourself in."

"Watch me." I started to stand, but he pulled me back down.

"Remember what I said earlier? It's my time to be heroic. For my first heroic act I'm saving you from handing your life over to the enemy."

"I need to get to the Red Queen." I protested. "I have a feeling she holds the key to getting out of here alive."

"What makes you so sure? Weren't you warned to stay away from her?"

"That's my point! Isis told me to think about this as a game, which makes the Red Queen the boss of this level. I have to defeat her to move on."

"That's one way of looking at it I guess. Still, you can't face her alone. Like it or not, we have to work together on this."

I shook my head. "If anything happened to you, I'd never forgive myself. It's best if I do this alone."

"What? You think I'm just going to let you walk in there and get yourself killed? I just found out I have a girlfriend. I'm not about to let her die before I get a chance to know her."

I temporarily forgot how to breathe. Someone call 911, he's killing me here. I had this overwhelming urge to throw my arms around his neck and kiss him, but I held myself in check. Though I could feel my cheeks burning.

"I still need to get to the Red Queen."

"Then we find out own way there. You aren't going as a captive, and we stick together. Got it, Princess?"

I couldn't hide the grin tugging at the side of my mouth. "Alright then, Hero. We'll do it your way. Just don't go doing anything stupid like taking a sword for me."

"Wasn't planning on it. Ideally, I would like to avoid any death altogether, but if we do come across someone with a sword, you don't need to worry. We may be dating, but I barely know you. Sorry, but I don't take blades for strangers."

I shoved him. "Well that's a comforting thought."

His eyes danced with amusement. "Come with me, Princess." He extended his hand to me. "Together, you and I shall rid this kingdom of its dreadful queen and make this land a place of beauty once more."

"How poetic. I didn't know you had that in you."

He brushed his shoulder. "I try."

"Lead the way, Shakespeare. Let's go storm a castle."

We started off following the Queen's men, but it was pretty clear they weren't headed to the castle any time soon. They were after me and they weren't returning until they had me.

After nearly being caught for the third time (don't judge, silently trailing someone is a lot harder to do than they make it look in the movies) we decided to strike out on our own.

"So what makes you so sure that finding this castle will get us out of here?" August asked after a while of walking in silence. "How do you know she's the boss? Didn't you say earlier that you were warned against meeting the Queen?"

I shrugged. "Yeah well, that was Iris, and her opinion doesn't really count."

"Isn't she the one who put us here? She like, created this place right? Shouldn't we heed her warning?"

"You worry too much. Besides, I never do what I'm told."

"I'm figuring that one out quickly enough."

"Not listening makes you mad. Being mad is good." We both froze when we heard the voice.

"Who's there?" August called out.

"Who indeed! Would you care to join our party?" The voice called back.

I couldn't tell where it was coming from. It was coming from everywhere and nowhere at once. My eyes scanned the area, but the trees were dense. I couldn't see more than a few feet ahead.

"Where are you?" August called again.

"My, my. Where are we, mouse? Do you even have a name? If so you have never told it to me. Do tell, are you even a he or a she?" The voice rambled.

"I believe it to be a she." Another voice said. He spoke in a hurried and hushed tone. "Perhaps some mere tea will wake her."

"You idiots! If you attempt to dunk me in the teapot again, I swear I'll scratch both your eyes out." A third, much smaller voice snapped.

"Do you mean that you will scratch one eye out from each of us? Or perhaps only one will lose his eyes. As you see, 'both' refers to two and we each have two." The first man laughed. "I would very much like to know."

"You both are mad. It is a curse to be trapped here." The small voice sighed.

"Who are these wackos?" August whispered.

"Unfortunately, I think I know." I motioned for him to follow as I started forward again. "I hope you like tea."

August groaned. "Please tell me you're joking."

I really wished I was, but there was no one else I could think of who would sound that crazy. Maybe we'd strike it lucky and the Hatter would look like Johnny Depp.

I wasn't that lucky. When we made it to the clearing, we found a mad tea party. There was no other word to describe it. Three large tables had been pushed together to create one huge one. Mix-matched chairs, most of which were broken, lined the table. Scattered across the table were half a dozen tea pots and three times as many cups. Shattered glass and pieces of food littered the surface. Moldy biscuits and pastries were piled high on stands.

At the end of the table sat three of the oddest people I'd ever seen. Well, two people and one mouse. One looked like an overgrown leprechaun with his green suit and pointed shoes. He was standing on the table, arguing with the man in the chair. When he heard us coming, he looked up and flashed us a toothy grin. That's when I noticed the strangest thing about him. Large, fluffy bunny ears stuck up from beneath his hat.

"So that's the March Hare I'm guessing." August leaned in and whispered.

"What gave that away?"

"Guests for tea?" He turned on the man in the chair whom I could only guess was the Hatter. "Did you invite them? Can't you see we have no room?" He turned back to us. "No room!" He shouted and then started laughing so hard he fell off the table.

I arched an eyebrow. "No room? He does realize they have about three dozen chairs not currently being used, right?"

"He's mad. Show a little respect." August chided with a smirk.

"Visitors!" The Hatter jumped up and ran across the table. "We have not had guests for tea in . . . well in a very long time." He leapt off the table and took my hands. "Please, come and sit. Perhaps you will hold the key to the raven and the writing desk?"

"Sorry? The what?"

August followed as the Hatter pulled me toward the table and pushed me down into the seat next to his own. August sat next to me.

The Hatter looked very much like the Hare, minus the ears. Except his suit was orange and purple.

The mouse cried in exasperation. "Enough! No one knows the answer to that ridiculous question."

The Hatter grinned. "You do not know that. You must give her a chance."

Just then, the Hare jumped up from beneath the table between my legs. He crawled over my lap and back up onto the table, where he trampled a few moldy scones and a few teacups. That explained the shattered glass.

"Tea? Did someone say tea?" The Hare said excitedly. He jumped down onto one of the chairs and it broke under him, sending him sprawling to the floor. It didn't phase him much at all. He simply jumped back up and took the seat next to him.

"No one did actually," August grumbled.

"None sense!" The mouse squealed and scampered across the table to sit next to the Hare. "Everyone has time for tea."

"Actually, we were sort of hoping you'd be able to help us with something." I said.

August looked confused. "We were?"

" _Yes,_ " I nodded slowly, "we need to find the castle of the Red Queen. Do you know where it is?"

Hatter nodded. "Depends on which one you want. We know where it is. Crazy woman. Both of them. Doesn't like music. Not dancing either. So we drink tea and sing and dance together!"

"Will you help us find it?" I asked hopefully.

"We won't help you if you don't help us." Hatter said, then frowned. "Or was it the other way around? You won't help us if we don't help you?"

"Help you? With what?" I asked.

"Fix time. Move it forward. Bring us back to the here and now."

"What does that mean? How are we supposed to fix time?" August asked, but they ignored him.

Hatter's eyes remained fixed on me when he said, "It's a tricky thing, time. Always changing yet it never changes. It's always the same. One can always count on it to be the correct time."

"For tea!" The Hare pipped up and poured himself a cup of tea.

"Yes of course! Where are my manners? Please, have a cup of tea." Hatter reached across the table and grabbed two more cups.

I shook my head. "No tea, thank you. I'm more of a coffee person anyway. We really must be going."

"But you just got here." Hatter protested.

"And it's tea time." The Hare agreed. "You must stay."

"I wish we could, but we're in an awfully big hurry. Perhaps another time." August stood and smiled politely.

"Just half a cup?" Hatter insisted, cutting one of the cups in half. "It should only take a moment."

I caught August's eyes and he gave me one very clear silent message. We had to leave. I hadn't finished questioning them yet. There was still more the Hatter could tell us. That I was certain about. Yet August seemed adamant about leaving and I trusted his judgement. It was time to leave.

"You really must stay." The mouse squeaked after downing an entire cup of tea.

"We would love to, but we've got time to save. Since we're saving time . . . time isn't something we have." I said and got to my feet.

"Brilliantly spoken," the Hatter clapped for me, "yet not enough. Powerful people want you, Taryn." Suddenly the Hatter didn't sound so mad. That drunk-ish tinge in his voice was gone. His eyes had stopped dancing and he was giving me a very serious look. "People with power to start time again."

"What do you mean? You still sound mad to me." I said cautiously.

The Hare laughed. "He is mad. It was he who froze time for us in the first place."

"Oh this is a brilliant story," the mouse clapped.

"Our dear mad Hatter decided to sing a lovely ballad for the Queen. It was a beautiful gesture apart from the fact that the Queen had just found out about her garden disaster." The Hare laughed so hard he fell out of his seat.

The mouse sighed and rolled her eyes. "As punishment for 'destroying her ears' and taking time away from her game of croquet, she took away our time. We've been stuck in tea time for who knows how long."

"Tea time?" The Hare jumped up and down in his seat.

Hatter picked up the teapot and went to fill Hare's cup. He missed by about half an inch, sending Hare into another fit of laughter.

"So you want us to start time for you again?" I guessed.

"That would be ideal, yes." Hatter nodded. "See, I've been stuck not on my birthday for so long. I don't even remember when it is."

I looked over at August and then back at the Hatter. "We'll help."

"We will?" August asked in shock.

"Yes, we will. After that, you'll help us find the castle?"

Hatter nodded and stuck out his hand. I shook it.

"Best of luck. We'll have tea here waiting when you get back."

"Where do we start?" I asked.

"I would suggest the Queen of Hearts. Her castle is just over that hill."

"Seriously? Now you tell us?"

"No, you asked for the Red Queen's castle. That one is so much harder to find."

"You mean there are two Queens?"

"What?" Hatter looked confused. "Did you think they were the same?"

"No way. One will kill you on the spot, the other enjoys making others suffer." Hare said.

"Wonderful. I'm looking forward to this. Yay pain." I grumbled.

"So the key to your time problem is in the Queen of Heart's castle?" August guessed.

"I believe so. That's where I lost it anyway." Hatter nodded.

Hare frowned. "No, you said it was the Red Queen."

"Not even close. It was the Queen of Hearts. I remember very clearly." Hatter countered.

"No. It was the Red Queen."

"How do you know? You weren't even there!"

"You told me."

"No I didn't."

"But you did."

August took my arm. "Let's get out of here before they remember we're here."

I sighed and nodded. "Alright, let's go."

* * *

 **I have to say, I did enjoy writing this scene :D hopefully y'all enjoyed it as well!**


	23. Chapter 22

"One will kill you on the spot, the other enjoys making others suffer." August repeated the Hare's words for the thousandth time since we'd left the tea party (if you could even call it a tea party).

"Would you stop with that already?" I groaned. "I get that you're upset, but we need to keep a level head. Yes, both Queens are evil. We get it. Let's move on."

"How are you so calm?" He was beginning to sound irritated. "You're not at all worried about this?"

I looked at him like he'd gone insane. Maybe he had. The Hatter's insanity could have been contagious. We had no way to prove it wasn't. It just hadn't affected me because I was already insane. "Of course I'm freaked out. I know one of the queens is our ticket out of this place, I just didn't realize there were two of them. Now we have double the trouble to deal with. If we're lucky, the Queen of Hearts will be the right queen, but let's be honest. We aren't ever that lucky. Like that time I was poisoned and almost died. Or that time you got shot and nearly died. Or that other time-"

"I get it." August cut in. "We're prone to accidents." He frowned. "I was shot?"

I laughed nervously. "Didn't I mention that before?"

He shook his head.

"Silly me." Just then the castle came into view beyond the trees. I took the opportunity to exit the conversation. "Oh look-y there. The castle. We'd better hurry so we can get out of this place before anything bad happens."

I took off at a sprint, leaving August behind to stare after me with an open mouth.

"Taryn!" He called. "Wait, come back here! Taryn, what happened to me?"

I raced toward the castle, ignoring the boy behind me. The closer I got to it though, the further it seemed to be. I ran faster, thinking maybe it was just a trick of the light. The only thing that accomplished was losing August in the dense trees.

I was suddenly hyper aware of the fact that I was alone. The castle wasn't any closer than it had been when we'd left the tea party. The woods seemed to be closing in around me. I froze in my tracks and turned to look behind me. I waited a few agonizing minutes, but August never appeared.

I was so stupid for running off like that. Maybe I hadn't been ready to relive that memory, but we should have staid together. This was Wonderland after all. It was designed to mess with a person's mind. I flashed back to all those days spent stuck inside that house with Colton and wishing I could be lost in the woods somewhere where no one could find me. Well, I'd finally gotten my wish and it was a whole lot less appealing than I thought it would be. Granted the woods were beautiful. It was like something straight out of a fairytale (ironically), but it was Wonderland. Worse than that, it was my imagination I was facing. Things never went well in my imagination.

Turning back around, I noticed that the castle had disappeared entirely. It was just . . . gone. A castle couldn't just get up and walk away. You'd think I would have noticed something that bizarre.

"Looking for something?"

I spun around so fast I nearly fell over, but there was no one there. "Okay, that's weird. i could have sworn I heard someone s-"

"You are not deceiving yourself. I am here."

"Where's here? I can't see you." I spun in a circle to prove my point.

"I am right before you. All you must do is open your eyes to see."

With a shock, I realized my eyes were tightly closed. They hadn't been that way before, had they? I didn't even remember closing them. Blinking them open again, I found a pair of big yellow eyes staring at me. That's it. Just the eyes. Floating mid-air.

I yelped and stumbled backward to get away from them. "What the heck are you?"

"You're looking for the Queen of Hearts and her castle, yes?" The eyes blinked once, disappearing for a second in the process.

"How did you know that?"

"You can not reach the castle by any normal means." The eyes said, ignoring my question. "This is Wonderland, where everything is what it is not and nothing is as it should be. Going toward the castle will do you no good."

I crossed my arms and glared at the eyes. "That sums things up quite nicely, thank you."

Eyebrows appeared long enough to wiggle up and down and then disappeared again. "Find the tree with the door in the trunk. Heaven knows you'll never fit through it as you are. Beside the tree you will find a potion. Drink it. Provided you are not afraid of death."

A shiver ran throughout my body. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"If you insist on questioning everything you are told, you will find yourself next to the Hatter at his table. Do try to remain alive. There are a fair few who are relying on you to succeed. Do not disappoint them."

"You know," I huffed, "out of everyone I've met here so far, you're the most annoying."

"I am merely offering my assistance. Whether you take it or not is entirely up to you."

"I don't usually take advice from strangers. Especially strangers I can't see."

Humor danced across the eyes. "I do very much hope that we will meet again, Taryn. Contrary to other's opinions, I find you truly amusing."

"Thanks," I frowned. "I think."

The eyes slowly faded out of view and the rest of the world followed.

"Taryn!"

I opened my eyes, noticing they'd been closed again without my consent. "What's going on?"

"I was just about to ask you that?" August held both my shoulders in a tight grip. His face was ashen, like he was on the verge of seriously freaking out. "Your eyes kept rolling back in your head and you were shaking violently. What happened? You kept muttering something about glowing eyes."

My entire body suddenly ached, like I'd just come from doing a full body workout. It seemed August wasn't joking about the violent shaking. "I think . . . I think I just spoke with the Cheshire cat. But that doesn't make any sense. Before, the wolf said that he was the cat in a new form. How can there be two Cheshire cats? If they really were the same, why was he helping me? The wolf only cared about eating me. It just doesn't make any sense. Unless the weird eyes wasn't the cat. But what else in the tale can turn invisible like that?"

"Taryn,"

"I've never read the book but I've seen the Disney movie. This is literally nothing like that-"

"Taryn,"

"-which means we're inside the original tale's version of the story, twisted with my own imagination. Which basically means we're totally screwed."

"Taryn!"

"What?" I spun on August angrily. "What do you want, August?"

He took a shaky breath. I knew him well enough to know he was terrified and my rambling wasn't helping him to calm down at all. "I understood none of what you just said."

"Join the club. Most people don't understand me."

August ignored that comment. "That being said, I'm choosing to trust you."

Now it was my turn to be confused. What was he on about? The confusion must have shown on my face because he hurried on in an attempt to explain himself.

"I don't know what's going on. Honestly, I'm still trying to process everything you told me before. I'm following you blindly here and I'm choosing to trust you."

"That's probably a horrible decision if we're both being honest." I admitted.

"Whether it's a good decision or not, I've made it and I plan to stick with it. You seem to like testing the limits of my trust though. Is this whole ranting to yourself thing something that happens a lot?"

"If you're going to freak out over me talking to myself, you are in way too deep. I can guarantee that will not be the weirdest thing you see me do. It took you a while to get used to my weird antics before, and you'll have to do it again. If you really are choosing to trust me, and you totally should by the way," I added quickly, "then you need to be able to handle my craziness. I'm not going to change who I am just so that you're more comfortable with it. If you don't like who I am, you can leave. Walk away now because I won't conform to anyone's perception of what they think I should be. It's a quirk I have."

"An admirable quirk."

The corner of my mouth twitched up in a smile. "That's the first time anyone's ever told me that."

"Then I was an idiot in the past life."

I grimaced. "Gosh darn it, August. When you say it like that it makes it sound like you've come back from the dead and it completely ruins any good feelings I had in that moment. The last thing we need right now is an army of the living dead attacking us."

"Just be thankful the Walking Dead isn't owned by Disney."

"That would be a nightmare."

"There's always The Nightmare Before Christmas."

"Don't even go there." I pushed past him. "These tales are freaky enough without adding the elements of the supernatural into the mix."

August jogged to catch up with me and then fell into step beside me. "Are you scared?" He teased.

"Shut up. If you had your memory you'd remember that I hate stuff like that. You made me watch Chainsaw Massacre with you once and I didn't sleep for a week. Even just thinking about that movie sends chills down my spine. I can't believe you actually enjoy freaking yourself out like that. You sir, are a strange human being."

"Nah, a lot of people enjoy watching horror movies. It's how they became so popular. You can handle Jaws. That's a horror movie."

"It's pathetic! The shark doesn't even look real." I froze. "Wait a minute, how did you know that?"

"Know what? That Jaws is a horror movie?" He asked, confused. "I know because it was specifically made to scare people. That's what horror movies do."

"No," I stared at him, not daring to believe it might be true, "the other part. How did you know that we watched Jaws together?"

"Taryn, quit playing around. I know we did because I was there." He talked slowly as if speaking with a small child. "There are things called memories. They allow us to relive times that have already happe-" He froze and looked at me with wide eyes. "How _did_ I know that?"

"That's what I just asked you." My mind was working a million miles a minute. "Maybe your memories are starting to come back. What was our first date we had after we escaped the curse?"

He didn't miss a beat. "It was right after you got out of the hospital. I took you out for ice cream to that little shop down the street. You ordered a waffle cone with vanilla and triple fudge brownie. You even had them put a maraschino cherry on top even though you hate the things. You just liked the way it looked and then you made me eat it, which is fine because I actually really enjoy them."

I stared at him with my mouth hanging open.

"Was I close?"

"That was perfect. Down to the last detail."

"What's going on?"

"I wish I knew."

Cautiously, I stepped toward him. I wasn't sure if he would allow it. I wasn't going to make him, but it had worked before right? True, at the time we'd both been in love. Did true love's kiss work if only one side of the kiss was genuine? I was about to find out.

August looked a little unsure, but he didn't stop me. I hesitated once I was close enough to feel the fan of his breath on my face.

"You can just tell me no and I won't." I whispered, unable to raise my voice any louder.

He closed the gap between us, answering my unasked question. His lips moved hesitantly against mine only for a moment before he deepened the kiss, pulling me closer into him. I completely lost myself as I wrapped my arms around his neck. I didn't realize how much I had missed his touch and the feel of lips against mine. It was as if I'd finally found my way back home.

We only separated because of our need for oxygen. Sometimes the need to breathe was seriously inconvenient. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against mine. He was smiling so I took that as a good sign.

"Wow," he breathed.

I laughed. "That's all you can say?"

"Yes," he said honestly, "you took my breath away. I can't find any words that would even begin to describe that."

"Just out of curiosity, how are you feeling? Any new memories swirling around in that thick head of yours?"

He shook his head and stood up straight again. "Nothing. Don't tell me that's the only reason you kissed me."

I shrugged. "It was worth a shot." I grinned and rolled my eyes at his defeated expression. "I also just missed kissing you. I've been wanting to do that for a long time."

"I can see why."

"And just to clear the air here, you kissed me."

"No way. That was all you, Taryn." August denied quickly.

"Not even! You were the one to close the gap. Admit it, you wanted to kiss me as badly as I wanted to kiss you." I grinned smugly.

He didn't deny it and I knew I had won. I was a little disappointed nothing had changed. I'd been hoping more of his memories would return. If I was really lucky, he'd be cured entirely. As always though, I wasn't lucky at all. We weren't any closer to retrieving August's memories. The kiss had been nice though. Maybe we could create a few new memories while we waited for his old ones to return.

"Come on, Romeo. Whoever those glowing eyes belonged to, they told me how to get to the castle." I started heading back, deeper into the woods.

"Uh, Taryn?" August called after me. "The castle is that way."

"I know." I called back over my shoulder.

"So where are you going?"

"The castle."

"But you're going the wrong way?"

"What happened to trusting me?"

He groaned and hurried after me. "How did I ever date you? You're so annoying."

"Believe me, you reminded me of that every chance you got."

We walked together in silence for a while. It wasn't awkward. It was a comfortable silence. After a while, he even slipped my hand into his, entwining our fingers. I smiled to myself, happy to have a part of my August back with me.

"I'm guessing that's the door in the tree." August said after a while. I'd told him everything the eyes had told me. He seemed skeptical but was willing to trust me, which I found impressive.

"Considering we haven't found any other doors in trees, I'm going to say yes. That's the door we're looking for."

The door was tiny. It would have been hard pressed for a mouse to get through. There was no way we were going through there. Looking around, I spotted the small table with the potions on the top.

"No way are we drinking that stuff." August said, shaking his head firmly.

I rolled my eyes. "Where's your sense of adventure? Look, they were even kind enough to provide us with two vials."

"The whatever-it-was literally said to only drink it if you weren't afraid of _death_."

"So?"

"Shouldn't that raise at least a little concern?" He questioned.

I shrugged carelessly and downed the entire vial. "Doesn't taste like poison." I lifted the second vial and handed it to him. "Bottoms up."

He didn't look happy about it but he took a tentative sip.

I sighed and helped him out by grabbing his wrist and forcing him to tip it all out into his mouth. He came up sputtering and coughing. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"You're not going to die. The vial is literally the size of a small shot."

He raised an eyebrow. "Got a lot of experience with that?"

I sighed and shoved him. "You're hopeless."

He mocked me as he said, "It's part of my charm."

I was about to fire back at him when I was hit with pain like I'd never felt before. I really wish I could stop saying that. I keep breaking my own record for levels of pain that I've lived through. Not the kind of record one normally brags about breaking. Seconds later, the same pain wracked August's body.

We fell to our knees as our bodies began to shrink. Bones broke and reformed over and over again until they were tiny. My skin folded in on itself as it formed to my newly shrunken self. I coughed up blood as the excess was forced from my body. It wasn't exactly the way I'd pictured this scene going down.

It took nearly five minutes for the entire process. I shakily got to my feet as soon as the pain had faded. It was beyond strange being smaller than a mouse, but I couldn't really focus on that as I was still focusing on my own breathing.

"Let's not waste any time," August panted, "I don't want to be this size for long."

I motioned toward the door in the tree. "After you."

He reached out and I gratefully took his offered hand. "Together?"

"Together."


	24. Chapter 23

The door in the tree led straight to the castle. Well, the castle grounds that is. We emerged from a narrow tunnel and into a beautiful garden, blinking against the bright sun. The garden was stunning. It was clear it had been maintained for royalty. It would have been even more spectacular if the entire thing hadn't been red. Red roses covered nearly everything. Carnations and tulips, all red. Even the trees glowed with the brightest red leaves I'd ever seen, as if it were a perpetual Autumn. Every one of the garden statues were ruby red. Even the grass had been dyed in a checkered formation with. . . wait for it . . . yup, red.

"This lady really enjoys her red, doesn't she." August commented as we waded through the grass.

The tunnel emerged into one of the green grass patches and it had recently been cut. We'd only taken a few steps before we were covered in green grassy juice. From this height, I noticed several paint cans carefully hidden away beneath one of the rose bushes. One of these plants had been painted. Or all of them had been. Honestly, nothing would surprise me all that much any more.

"How are we supposed to grow back to our normal heights?" I thought out loud. "We can't keep walking around like this. We'll never get anywhere."

August suddenly pointed a tiny table just underneath one of the colorful trees next to us. It probably wasn't even visible to anyone who wasn't looking for it. On the table were two tiny biscuits. "You think that's it?"

I waded through the grass, over to the table and gingerly picked up the biscuit. "There's only one way to find out." Before I could chicken out, I popped the entire thing in my mouth. It dissolved as soon as it hit my tongue. I didn't have to chew it at all.

The transformation started right away. It was just has horrible as the shrinking had been, only reversed. Instead of breaking bones to make them fit, I was being stretched beyond my body's capability to form to the new height. Thankfully, it didn't take long for the growing to finish. I looked down at August and gave him a thumbs up with a pained smile. "Your turn."

August didn't look thrill but he followed my lead and took his biscuit. Instead of growing any taller though, he simply disappeared. "August?" My heart dropped as I fell to my knees and searched through the grass around the area, calling his name. Where had he gone? What if one of the biscuits had been some sort of curse that had deleted him from this world, or worse even the real world?

I caught a glimpse of the table and frowned, turning my full attention to it. The second biscuit was still there, as if August had never taken it. I could have sworn I'd seen him eat it. So why was it still there? It didn't make any sense. There'd only been two biscuits. I was sure of it. Which means August must not have eaten it. Was I seeing things? None of that offered any answers as to where he'd gone to though. Everything kept running together in my mind. Suddenly I couldn't remember if August had even come through the tunnel with me. Had there only been one vial back at the other end? Had I come through alone? Maybe August was safe back on the other side. That thought made me feel a bit better. The idea made sense anyway.

I sat back on my knees and looked around. What was I doing crawling on the ground? What kind of a first impression was I going to make like this? The Queen could show up at any second and now I was covered in green stains. My eyes drifted to the tiny table where a second biscuit lay on the plate. That was weird. Why would the curse give me two biscuits? There was only one of me after all and I didn't fancy growing any taller than I was now. Maybe I'd have to though? How did this tale go again? I couldn't remember. All I knew was that I had to somehow figure out how to start time again for the Hatter, Hare and Mouse.

I stood up, but hesitated. I kept feeling like I was forgetting something, like maybe I was supposed to wait for someone to show up? Had I been traveling with anyone? I tried to remember, but every time I tried thinking back, my headache flared. Eventually I gave up. I'd think of it later. For now, I had to focus on the task at hand. If there was someone I was supposed to meet, they'd have to catch up on there own. Serves them right for falling behind like that.

I'd started walking toward the castle when a group of people showed up led by the queen herself. At least I assumed she was the queen. With her big head of bushy red hair and the golden crown, she was kinda hard to miss.

"You girl!" She pointed to me and looked back at one of the knights flanking her. "Do I know this girl?"

He shook his head. "I don't believe you do my queen."

She frowned and turned back to me. "What are you doing in my garden?"

I turned to look behind me, just to make sure no one else was there and then pointed to myself. "Me?"

"Yes you stupid girl! I am speaking to you. Who are you? What are you doing in my garden and why are you all green? The theme here is clearly red. How dare you disrupt the flow like this."

"A minute ago, I was all prepared to go change into something red to please you, but now that you've called me stupid, I don't think I will." I crossed my arms over my chest. "I hear you're the reason the Hatter is trapped in a perpetual tea party. Care to explain?"

The queen stomped her foot and turned to the knight she'd spoken to before. "Is she insulting me? I think she's insulting me."

"No your Majesty. I believe the term you are looking for is 'accusing'. She is accusing you of doing those things."

"Yes," she waved off his comment, "that is what I said. She _has_ been accusing me!" She whipped back around to face me with a murderous glare. "Do you know what happens to those who insult me?" She might have been intimidating if she hadn't been so small.

"I lose my head? Good luck with that. I'd much rather keep my head on my shoulders thanks."

The queen's face went as bright red as her hair. "I want her head!"

The knights immediately jumped into action. They were a hard to take seriously too. Their armor had been decorated as playing cards. Seven of hearts charged forward with five of hearts right behind him. They may have looked ridiculous, but they were a lot stronger looking than the queen was. Provoking them probably wasn't a good idea. In retrospect, provoking the queen wasn't a good idea either, but when have I ever been good at making decisions?

Instead of turning and running like any sane person would have, I charged forward and barreled through the two knights. I had shocked them enough to give me a few seconds of a head start. I winked at the queen as I passed her. "I'll be seeing you later."

She screamed at her knights again and I laughed as I tore through the garden. My situation might not have been grand, but I didn't have a care in the world. Those knights in their bulky armor couldn't catch me. I'd made it to the castle, returned to my normal height, successfully ticked off the queen and now I was on my way to finding the cure for the Hatter's time problem.

A small part at the back of my mind kept nagging me, like maybe I was forgetting something important. Again, I tried thinking back across my time in the curse. Isis had me trapped and I had to find some way out. No - that wasn't it. There was someone else. Someone much more dangerous than Isis. I shook my head. That was ridiculous. Who could possibly be more retarded than Isis? No one. That's who. So having someone possibly more dangerous just wasn't heard of.

Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. I wasn't supposed to be here alone, was I? Had I been alone the entire time? All those other tales, who'd been playing the roles along beside me?

Even with all the pressing thoughts running through my mind, I found myself laughing. Maybe that biscuit had affected my brain. After being shrunk down to be smaller than a mouse, to being stretched back to my normal size (though I was convinced I'd been ripped off by a few inches) my mind had a right to be a little messed up.

It was easy to lose myself in the maze that was the queen's garden. Before I knew it, I'd gotten myself completely lost, but the sounds of the knights chasing after me had long faded away. At least I'd shaken them off my tail. Now I could focus on finding the secret to fixing time. It couldn't be too hard right?

Wrong. By the time I found my way out of the garden maze, the sun had nearly finished setting. I could hardly see anymore without a light, which I didn't have. The guards around the castle had doubled which made entering nearly impossible. It was clear the queen expected me to make a reappearance. I smiled at the thought. We'd only met each other briefly, but that's all it took for her to fear me. And rightfully so. I'd spent my childhood with Colton. I knew a thing or two about getting people to give me what I want. I wasn't keen on the idea of stooping to his level, but if it came down to it, I would. There were people counting on me after all.

I froze. Huh, who was counting on me? I was sure somebody was, but who? I couldn't remember. How long had I even been in the curse? Had I let them down already by taking too long? My head began pounding as I tried to find memories that weren't there. A part of me began to wonder if maybe my mind had been tampered with. Being inside the curse, it was completely possible that someone had forced me to forget something and that something was probably important.

Just then, a light switched on near the second story balcony, illuminating me and the garden. I quickly shook myself from my thoughts and dove beneath one of the bushes to stay out of view. The queen sauntered out onto the balcony wrapped in a velvet bathrobe. With her hair down and that crazy makeup gone, she almost looked normal. She assumed no one was watching her, so her scowl had disappeared. I'd almost say she looked human. There was something familiar about her. Something I couldn't quite place. She reminded me of someone. Maybe it was the someone who'd been erased from my memories. If that was the case, I'd have to grant myself an audience with her's truly.

The queen took a few deep breathes of the evening air before she was interrupted by her lady in waiting. As soon as the young girl had arrived, the queen's scowl was fixed back in place. It made me sad to see it return. I could have sworn she'd been close to smiling the in the serenity of the peaceful evening.

The girl spoke a few fast words and the queen followed her inside. I smiled and silently thanked them for leaving the balcony door open. They'd just given me my way in.

I'd scaled a few things in my lifetime. I even scaled the school building once in grade school. I don't have a clear memory of it, but I know it took several hours for them to get me back down. Honestly, they should have just let me climb back down. Though looking back on it now, allowing an eight year old climb down a two story school probably wasn't a great idea.

The school building had been so much easier to climb. There was nothing to hold onto on this stupid castle. Not a single vine or loose brick. I wanted to scream. My one way in and it wasn't even accessible.

Like a petulant two year old, I stomped my foot and crossed my arms. Why did everything have to be so gosh darn difficult? Why couldn't anything be simple? I could just imagine Iris' smug face as she watched me struggle.

With a disgruntled sigh, I decided it was time to start looking for a different way in. I wasn't getting anywhere with the balcony. Yet as I turned to leave, something made me pause. A feeling in my gut that maybe I should try once more. I wasn't usually one to listen to my own advice, but this time I found myself doing it.

I slowly turned back around and padded over to the wall. There was one portion where the stone was a bit more worn than the rest which is where I'd been trying to climb. It was the only place that offered any sort of grip for climbing. Instead of returning to that place, I found myself standing directly beneath the balcony. Shockingly, when I felt the smooth wall, trying to find any sort of grip I could, my hands came away cut and bleeding as if I'd run them through one of the rose bushes.

"What in the world," I mused as I reached my hand out again. The same sharp pain greeted me as I placed my hand against the wall.

"Nothing is what it is, and everything is what it is not." Isis' voice rang through my mind clearly as if she were standing right next to me.

I searched for the source of the voice, but as expected she wasn't there. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You must train yourself to look at things in a new light." Isis' voice said. "For nothing is as it seems in this strange yet wonderful world."

"Yeah, wonderful is not the word I would have used." I grumbled as I took hold of the invisible vines and started my painful journey to the top.

"It is called Wonderland after all."

"Why are you even talking to me?" I snapped. "Get out of my head."

"Tsk tsk" Isis' soft laughter rang through my mind, "Iris really did a number on your memory didn't she? You've already forgotten we're on the same team now."

That comment made me freeze in my tracks. It even temporarily made me forget the pain shooting up through the palms of my hands. "Excuse me? Did you just say 'we' and 'same side' in the same sentence?"

"What's the matter, Taryn? Do you not believe that an old rival and her foe could team up and become one unstoppable force that will eventually take over the entire world?"

"That took a turn." I blew out a hot breath and returned to my climbing. "You have a few screws loose, Isis. Get back to me when you have your full mind in tact."

"You're going to need my help, Taryn." She insisted. "Once inside the castle, you won't be able to escape on your own. You'll

I chose to ignore her. I had to focus on getting through this tale alive, which meant I had no time to sit around listening to all of Isis' bull crap. There was no way I was letting Isis join my side. I'd never be able to trust her. I wasn't sure who this Iris person was that she mentioned, but I assumed she was the final boss at the end of this ridiculous game. Perfect. Now I had a goal to reach for.

Again, something kept nagging at me. I was forgetting something, but what? There was a reason I was here.

 _Yeah dummy because Isis put you here._

I shook my head. No, that wasn't it. There was more to it I was sure of that, but until I could figure it out I'd keep racing toward the objective.

I climbed with a new vigor. I could do this. Things were finally staring to look up.

* * *

 **I'm back! :D ROTC is drawing to a close now. Only a few chapters left! I will definitely be writing a third instalment to the story though whether I'll be posting it or not is still up in the air. I guess we'll see what happens :) let me know your thoughts!**


	25. Chapter 24

The queen was alone in her room when I finally reached the balcony. She looked like she'd been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy and she kept wiping her nose on her sleeve. I felt bad for her. No one should be that unhappy. Even the villains. Everyone had a right to be happy. I'd heard it said that a villain in your story was the hero of their own story. I wasn't sure I believed that to be true all the time ( _cough_ \- Isis - _cough_ ) yet seeing anyone that upset just wasn't right.

She was too distracted to notice when I first entered the room. I'd made it halfway to the door when the guilt finally got to me. Something told me the queen didn't have anyone here at the castle she could talk too. She put on a brave face around the staff and her subjects, but alone she was a mess. I knew personally how hard that could be. I'm guilty of doing the same thing. Before August came along, I'd never opened up to anyone. Showing emotions or sharing feelings wasn't something that happened inside our household.

I frowned. That name. August. I knew that name, didn't I? Suddenly it felt weird in that sentence, like maybe I'd gotten it wrong. There had been someone I'd let in, right? I could have sworn -

"Taryn?" The queen's voice broke me from my thoughts.

I looked up to find her staring at me with wide, disbelieving eyes. I offered a half smile. Did I know her?

She leapt to her feet and raced toward me with her arms stretched out. _Wait, is she going in for a hug?_ I quickly ducked under her arm and spun to face her back. She frowned and turned back to me in confusion.

"Taryn?"

"That's my name. Don't wear it out." I eyed her cautiously. Maybe she was just disillusioned from her recent cry fest. I know I got a little weird after crying.

"Taryn, it's me. Dixie." She waited for any sort of recognition but I had nothing. I'd never known anyone with that name.

A stabbing pain shot up through my head, as if someone had just driven a hot spike through my skull. I flinched and clutched my head but I kept a careful eye on the girl. I didn't trust her. She was way too friendly.

"Are you ok? What's wrong?" She actually looked concerned. I was almost tempted to tell her the truth. _Almost_.

"I'm fine. Just bumped my head on the way up and now I have a headache." I swallowed hard and slowly released my head. The pain quickly receded. "How do you know my name? Did Isis tell you? Are you working with her?"

The queen (what had she called herself? Dixie?) looked horrified. "You really don't know me? Taryn, we were in the curse together. I helped you escape remember? You, me and August all live together now."

I lived with this girl and some guy? You'd think I'd remember something like that. Unless she was making all this up, which sounded like the much more reasonable explanation.

"I don't know what we're all doing back here in the curse, but we have to find a way out."

"Wait, wait. Hold on a second." I put my hand out to stop her. "If you really know me like you claim to, then why didn't you recognize me earlier in the garden? You didn't seem to know me then which only proves you're lying now."

She quickly shook her head, causing her crown to nearly fall off her head. "I knew I couldn't break character. Not with so many people around. You know the rules." She frowned. "I recognized you right away. I would have assumed August would be with you though. Where is he? Have you found him yet?"

"So this other guy is here too? Great." I said with sarcasm. "Is he going to insist on knowing me too? This is all getting really weird." I took a few steps toward the door, careful to remain out of reaching distance of the girl. "I'd love to stay and chat. You know, catch up on all the memories only you seem to possess, but I don't have any time to waste. Literally. I have to go save time for the Hatter and the Hare."

Dixie reached out toward me but I leapt out of her grasp. "You can't leave now! We need to figure out what's going on. Please, Taryn you can't leave me. Do you know what it was like being sucked back into this stupid curse?" Tears clouded her eyes again and I started to worry she might start crying again. I was never good around crying people. "I thought I was finally free. I thought I'd never have to come back here, but I was swept up into another nightmare. I'm scared."

I shifted my feet awkwardly. "Aren't we all? Isis is completely deranged. I'm working on it though. I'll defeat the curse and give you all your lives back." I continued to skirt around her and toward the door. "Just hang in there. You'll be free again before you know it."

My hand grasped the doorknob just as the first tears began falling from her eyes. I forced what I hoped was a friendly smile onto my lips. Opening the door, I quickly backed out and closed it again behind me. Dixie cried as she called after me. I felt guilty, though I wasn't sure why. I didn't know her. I didn't owe her anything. She could just wait like all the other characters for me to get them out of here. Just because she played the queen didn't make her special. As for her insistence of knowing me, I didn't know what to think of that. I was sure I didn't know her. I'd never seen her before in my life. She must have had me confused for someone else. Or else the curse was messing with her mind. The poor girl. Isis was going to pay for what she'd done to these people. No one deserved that. I set my jaw stubbornly as I raced down the corridor. I was going to give them their lives back. I'd destroy the curse so it could never come back to harm anyone ever again.

I wasn't watching where I was going and accidentally ran headfirst into another body. They shouted in surprise as we both tumbled to the floor. I groaned and pushed myself back up to my feet, rubbing my head.

"Sorry about that. I should probably watch where I'm going."

When I looked up, I was met with intense stormy grey eyes which lit up as soon as they saw me. Great, I thought, another weirdo who's going to assume they know me.

The boy leapt up and grinned wide. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Save yourself the trouble." I waved him off and started walking down the hall again. "Like I told the other girl, I don't have any idea who you are. Any illusions you have of knowing me are just that. It's the curse messing with your mind. Within five minutes you won't even remember what I looked like. Just keep walking that way." I pointed back down the hall in the opposite direction I was walking.

He looked offended. "You don't recognize me? I know we've only been friends a little while but I'd assumed you'd be able to remember my face."

I shrugged. "Apparently not."

"You really have no idea who I am?"

I sighed. "Not a clue. Should I?"

"I'm Chord. Last I saw of you, you were headed to go find Iris." He grimaced. "And it looks like you found her. She must have really done a number on your memory."

I turned on him angrily. "Look, pal. It's not my memory that's gone to whack. This is obviously just Isis playing her dumb games again and I refuse to play along. We don't know each other. Never have, never will. Now leave me alone!"

I spun and marched angrily away, ignoring his calls just as I had done to the girl. I didn't stop until I was a safe distance away from him. What was with these people? Were they all acting like this because we were in Wonderland? Was it some sort of weird side affect? If it was, I was more than ready to finish this tale and leave.

For the thousandth time I wished I knew what I was looking for. It would have made this task a lot easier. What in the world could possibly fix time? I found myself checking every clock I found along the way. I didn't remember this ever being part of the tale. Then again, it was Wonderland. If any tale was going to be unpredictable, it would be this one. Occasionally I'd have to hide myself around a corner or behind a piece of furniture whenever any of the staff would pass by. For the majority of the time though, I didn't see anyone. It was eery. Shouldn't a castle of this size have more than a few staff members? The queen had seemed a little off her rocker but even she would have been smart enough to keep the place fully staffed, right? Something wasn't right. I could feel it.

I hated being right. I stepped around a corner and found myself in a large drawing room. Sunlight streamed through the windows in a dazzling warmth. Flowers of all kinds and colors lined the walls and hung from the ceiling. It was a welcoming sight from all the red in the rest of the castle. Off in the corner of the room was a small round table with three elegant chairs around it. The entire thing screamed, 'tea time'. Only completing the picture was the large, porcelain teapot sitting on the table with the plate of little biscuits beside it. Each of the chairs was occupied and they all turned to look at me when I entered.

"Taryn! How lovely of you to join us!" Isis showed her teeth in a smile that rivaled the sun's rays. She lifted her cup toward me in greeting and then took a sip of the still steaming beverage.

"I'm not here for tea." I said.

"Psh," she waved me over, "come have a seat." With a wave of her hand, another seat appeared beside her.

I didn't make any move to go sit down. I'd be dead before anyone ever caught me having tea with Isis. The man beside her sneered at me and for a moment, he looked familiar. It was my turn to be the creep who thought they knew everyone. It was probably just my imagination, yet he looked so familiar. The woman on Isis' other side was clearly related to her. They looked so much alike it was scary.

"It is rude to refuse an open invitation." The woman said with a cold smile.

"I don't drink tea."

The man snorted. "You haven't changed much, have you?"

Maybe I did know him. I decided I didn't like either of the new people. They both gave off the same vibes as Isis. Only the woman on the right seemed more evil if that was even possible. I wasn't sure she was even human. No one could look that cruel.

"Her manners have never been very good." Isis laughed. "She's always trying to drag people down into her pitiful pit of despair. Just ignore the bad attitude and you'll be fine."

I glared at the witch. "Watch it, Isis, or I'll do more than just make you grumpy."

She laughed again. "Isn't she just adorable when she's making threats? I can't take her seriously. Now, if she knew her true powers and could wield them properly, then perhaps we'd have reason to fear. As it is, she's fairly harmless."

"True powers? What's that supposed to mean?" I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Tsk, tsk," she shook her head and glanced over at the other woman, "you really did a number on a her memory. Was it really necessary to erase the entire thing? It's more fun when she remembers the events because then she gets angry and starts saying ridiculous things that are just hilarious."

"We're not here to play games, Isis." The woman snapped. She turned to me again with a cold, angry stare. "Come sit down before I force you against your will."

I decided not to argue, though there were a few things I would have liked to say to her. I took the seat between Isis and the man and slouched down into it. The man kept eyeing me up like he was looking for a fight and it was making me uncomfortable. Who was this guy?

"Since you seem to have lost any memories of us, I shall start with introductions." Isis placed a hand on her chest. "Of course you know who I am."

"Unfortunately."

"This beautiful woman is my sister, Iris. I do envy her beauty. She was always mother's favorite you know."

"Are you kidding me?" I looked between the two women. "You two are nearly identical."

Isis blushed. "Why thank you, Taryn. That was a very sweet thing to say."

The man grunted. "Can we move on already?"

Isis rolled her eyes. "This impatient man is our brother, Colton. If we ignore him, maybe he'll go away."

For once, I was in agreement with Isis. I didn't like him hanging around. "Isn't there another one of you?" I wasn't sure where that had come from, it just felt right. They were missing one member of the family.

Isis smirked at Iris. "Apparently not everything was wiped."

"Our sister couldn't make it. She had -" Iris paused, choosing her words carefully, "other arrangements."

Isis huffed. "I think she's just still mad that we cut her off for so long."

"Honestly, she shouldn't have been so surprised." Iris said. "She doesn't even have any magic. Did she honestly believe we wouldn't disown her?"

"You disowned your sister and now you're mad that she isn't attending a tea party?" I shook my head at their ignorance. "For witches you all are pretty dense. I wouldn't want to be around you either if I were her. Heck, I don't want to be around you now." I made to stand but was held back by an invisible force. Iris smirked and I knew it was her keeping me there.

"You can't leave now." Iris said in her silky voice. "We have a few things we need to discuss."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"We want you on our team."

I choked on my own spit. There was no way I'd heard her right. "I'm sorry . . . what?"

"Told you she wouldn't go for it." Colton shrugged.

I stared at them all in disbelief. "Are you all insane? You must be to have said that. You do realize that I will never join you. My entire existence is seems to have been created just to appose you. It would be a bit counter productive if I were to start working with you. Besides, just about everything you do goes against every moral conduct in my book."

Isis gave me a pleading look. "You must think about it, Taryn. I don't think you understand how important you're skills would be for our cause."

"What cause? To make my life miserable? Congratulations, you've won."

Iris took a sip of her tea. "Our mission is to bring magic back into the real world."

I turned to her. "Isn't magic already in the real world? That's how Isis lured me into the curse in the first place. If there wasn't magic in the real world, how did you make this fictional one, huh? Come on, you can't fool me that easily."

"She's as dumb as ever." Colton stuffed an entire danish into his mouth.

"Is seems as though this is going to take a bit of explaining." Isis sighed.

"I expected nothing less." Iris wiped her mouth daintily before jumping into her explanation. "Magic is severely limited in the real world. People born with our abilities are unable to wield their powers freely because of the tiny minds of humans. It's the lack of belief that this world has that prevents those like me from thriving. Simple magic can be done, yes. In fact, many witches and wizards in the modern world make a fine living off of it. However, their talents are believed to be nothing more than tricks of the mind, each move requiring some form of illusion. None of it is real to the human mind. It's a disgrace to us. Only those who are truly desperate, needing so badly to exercise their gifts, or gain acceptance from the crowd, become magicians for the public. Those of us who still have a shred of dignity left, have found an easier way to use our skills."

Isis shuttered. "I can't stand street performers. They give witches like us a bad name."

Iris continued as if the interruption hadn't happened. "You see, curses like this one, are easy enough to create. They're simple. Not much actual magic is required to bring one to life, but once you enter, the world inside is entirely your own. We find it easy to hone our magic with no restraints. Curses like this have become an escape for witches and wizards alike. My sister used the fairytale curse as a means to avenge our family, but she wasn't using it to the maximum potential. Isis has never had the desire to use her magic. She knows how to use it, yes, but she doesn't look for every opportunity to do so."

"You make that sound like an insult." Isis huffed.

"She does not use her magic in the same way that most others do."

"Alright," Isis crossed her arms and pouted, which on any other person would have looked ridiculous but since she was Isis it was actually adorable and I hated her even more for it, "now you're just being mean."

"She enjoys playing mind games with other people. She finds the simplicity of the human brain to be fascinating. I on the other hand, acknowledge my powers and am willing to sacrifice greatly in order to strengthen them. One day I will become the most powerful sorceress in the world. Then I will use my power to bring magic back into the world! Everyone will believe again and then those like me will be able to freely use their gifts.

"I have been able to sway the minds of most, however there is still one who stands in my way. You, Taryn Bauer, your power is still far greater than mine. However, if you were join us, you could use your gifts to further along the cause. With your help, it won't be long before every witch or wizard is able to freely use their magic without being confined to an illusion of a world."

"You sound insane." I told her honestly. "You can't expect me to believe that. I have no powers. I'm not a witch. End of story."

Isis' pout grew stronger. "She didn't believe the first time either. Why did you have to go and erase her memory like that? Now we'll have to convince her all over again."

"It was a necessity if we were to have any hope of converting her."

"You know I'm sitting right here, right?" I raised an eyebrow. "Look, even if I did have magical voodoo powers, I wouldn't use them to help you. Who says having the freedom to use magic in the real world would be a good thing? You know what I see when I picture that? Chaos."

Colton gave Iris a pointed look. "The kid has a point. I tried to tell you the same thing. We should have just left things the way they were."

I could see the anger behind her eyes, yet she took a breath and calmly said, "Witches and wizards should be allowed full use of their abilities, no matter what world they are in. It would be like telling a pro athlete that he could no longer participate in his sport because it wasn't socially acceptable. You're forcing a fish to live on dry land when you take a witch's power from her."

I shook my head. "This is still a bad idea and I refuse to be any part of it. Just leave me out of this."

Isis gave me a sympathetic look. "You should have chosen to help us, Taryn. You won't like what's going to happen next."

Iris' eyes danced with a sudden amusement. "If I'm being honest, I'm glad you chose not to help. It will be so much more fun this way. It's time we move on to plan B."

Colton leapt up in excitement. "I'll get the ropes!" He looked like a kid who'd just been given permission to raid the candy jar.

Iris' smile sent chills down my spine. I had a feeling I'd just signed my own death sentence.

"You have sealed your fate now, Taryn. Your friends aren't around to help you this time. With any luck, you won't be seeing them again . . . ever."

I would have gotten up and ran away as fast as my legs could carry me if Iris' magic hadn't been holding me down. I swallowed hard and met her eyes stubbornly. "I'm not afraid." I lied.

"Good." Her smile widened. "Let's begin."

* * *

 **Only one chapter left! It's definitely going to be leaving on a cliffhanger so please don't hate me too much lol anyway, I hope you've enjoyed this weeks update and hopefully I'll have the next one up by friday! :)**


	26. Chapter 25

_I'm not a witch. I'm not a witch. I'm not a witch._

The phrase ran through my mind as a sinister chant. How could I be one? No one in my family was a witch. Those types of powers ran in the family. You inherited them and it didn't often skip a generation. Which meant that my mother would have had magic. Which she didn't. She never would have put up with all the crap in her life if she had.

So why did they keep insisting that I had magic? If that wasn't bad enough, Iris kept going on about how my magic was more powerful than her's. If _that_ were true, I'd have kicked their butts a long time ago. The Ingreman family had a few screws loose.

I was brought up to the top floor of the castle. Colton took great pleasure in tying me to a chair, making sure the ropes were bound tightly against my wrists. He wasn't satisfied until I grimaced in pain. I wasn't sure what I'd done to make him hate me so much. Every time he walked past me as he paced the room, he gave me a look that made my skin crawl. Like he wanted to tear me apart limb from limb. My expression remained stony. I refused to let him see how terrified I actually was.

Isis leaned against the wall, watching me. Her expression was hard to read. She wasn't smiling like she normally was, yet she didn't look angry like her brother. There was something else there, something I couldn't place. Knowing Isis though it wasn't good.

Iris on the other hand had taken a chair and placed it directly in front of me. She perched elegantly on the edge of it, crossed her legs and stared at me with an amused grin. "You should have chosen to join our side, Taryn. I'm afraid you won't like the alternative quite as much."

"Anything is better than working with you." I spat. "Besides, what's the worst you could do to me?"

"You must have really wiped her memory good." Colton laughed. His english sucked. I had my doubts the guy had ever been to school in his life. He sorta gave off that 'I have no clue about anything' vibe. "If her mind was anywhere near normal, she'd be afraid."

"Shut up, Colton." Iris said smoothly, not bothering to look up at her brother. "I had reasons behind my actions. If she were to have had all of her memories, we would all have been dead. After all, she was just beginning to understand her newfound magic."

"I'm telling you, I don't have magic." I let my head fall back in exasperation and laughed without amusement. "You people don't seem to get it. You're making a huge mistake here." Still, they'd all talked about _my_ memory being lost which meant it was my head that had been tampered with. Maybe those people I'd met throughout the castle were actually telling the truth. It would explain why they all knew my real name and why they all were so upset when I left. That made me mad. First she screws up my life and now she's messing with my mind too? That's where I drew the line.

If they really had tampered with my memory, would that mean that I might actually have some sort of magic in me? It didn't make any sense, and was completely illogical. Yet Iris had seemed almost frightened at the thought of facing me and going head to head with magic. There was just no way I could be stronger than her though . . . right? I mean, that's just crazy.

"Oh my dear," Iris purred, "you have magic. Powerful magic. It is true I am not aware of where this power has come from, yet you possess a great deal of it. I simply can not allow you to gain complete control over it. Doing so may cause damage to an already fragile idea."

"So what exactly is it that you're planning to do with me?"

Iris' grin was cold and dangerous. "Extracting the magic from a witch can be deadly. Most don't survive the process. Those who do are maimed for life. I'm willing to take my chances with you. I will warn you that the process will involve a bit of pain."

"A bit?" Colton laughed. "The last witch you took magic from screamed so loud she literally cracked a window. That's gotta be some major pain."

"Not willing! Not willing! I am so not willing!" I still wasn't sure what she meant by all of that, but I wasn't thrilled about the pain or the imminent death.

"I do hope you have all your affairs in order, Taryn. I fear you won't be around much longer." She stood and I fought against the ropes that bound me to the chair. For once, I wasn't worried about hiding my fear. Tears clouded my vision as she approached. This was definitely not going to end well for me.

* * *

After August had found himself back on the other side of the Wonderland, he'd immediately started making his way back toward the castle. Taryn wouldn't have waited around for him once he disappeared. He would know because once he had taken a bite of that biscuit and had made the jump, he'd gotten his memory back. August wanted to kick himself for ever forgetting Taryn. Especially when she had needed him the most. He was officially the world's worst boyfriend.

Getting to the castle had been fairly easy. Too easy actually. It allowed him to walk right up to it without taking some weird roundabout way like the last time. That wasn't a good sign.

Again, August wondered how Taryn had even gotten herself stuck back inside the curse. Hadn't they destroyed it the first time? There should have been nothing left to come back to. He wanted to believe that she'd been kidnapped or something. Brought here against her will. But he knew her better. More than likely she'd found out about this new curse and all the characters trapped inside and in a spurt of heroism and rage, she'd jumped back in without a second thought for her own life. Now she was stuck and it was up to August to free her . . . again. He loved her more than anything, but she could still get under his skin. Why couldn't she at least _try_ to avoid putting herself in any unnecessary danger? She was going to succeed in giving him a heart attack one of these times.

August was trying to decide where to begin looking now that he'd reached the castle when the screaming started. The color drained from his face and his heart skipped a few beats. _Taryn._

Without another thought or even a second glance at the confused nights, he barreled through the front doors. His vision tunneled as he followed the sound of Taryn's agonized screams. What were they doing to her? Whoever it was, was going regret ever even _thinking_ about hurting her.

Somewhere along the way August met up with Dixie who'd also heard Taryn's screaming. He wasn't surprised to see her there. If all the other characters had returned she would have too. That could have been part of the reason Taryn had come in the first place.

They also met up with another guy. August didn't know who he was, but he said his name was Chord and he seemed to know Taryn. Chord was just has concerned for her as the rest of them so August decided to let him stick around. They were going to need all the help they could get.

They followed Taryn's screaming up to the top floor when she suddenly stopped. The air around them turned cold. August could only fear the worst. Dixie laid a hand on his shoulder and nodded toward the only door on the floor. Taryn had to be behind it.

August didn't hesitate. He burst through the door, only it wasn't exactly what he was expecting. The room was empty. At least, that's the way it appeared to be at first. He turned back to the other two who looked just as confused as he was, but when he turned back around four people who hadn't been there before had suddenly appeared. One of them was Taryn. She was slumped forward in a chair, her hands bound tightly behind her back. She was unconscious.

Isis' eyes grew wide and she disappeared in an explosion of sparks as soon as she saw the three of them enter. Colton was too busy laughing at Taryn's unconscious body to notice us. The other lady in the room watched us with amusement. There was no shock on her face. She'd been expecting them.

"Welcome friends!" The lady greeted. "I must say, I was worried you would show up before the process was over. Your timing really is impeccable. We've only just finished. If you hurry, you might even be able to save her life!"

Colton turned on the woman in anger. "You told us we'd be taking her along with us. I was looking forward to spending some more time with my daughter."

The lady rolled her eyes. "She's not of any use to us now. Besides, in her condition she won't last another day. Honestly it's not even worth our trouble."

Colton clenched his fists at his side. "You said she wouldn't have to die."

"Why does it matter to you anyway? You don't even like the girl."

"Look, I was robbed of my fun the last time, I won't be robbed again."

"Forget it, you can keep the girl," The lady sighed in exasperation, "but I make no promises. If she dies it won't be my fault."

Colton looked like a kid who'd just won a prize at the fair. "I knew you'd come around." He knelt down and untied the ropes from around Taryn's wrists. Without the ropes to keep her up, she fell forward onto the floor, landing on her face. In one swift movement, Colton lifted her up and draped her limp body over his shoulder.

"No one is taking her anywhere." August ground out through gritted teeth stepping forward threateningly.

The lady laughed. "You sound so sure of that. It's adorable that you think you could stop us. Colton, isn't that adorable?"

This lady was nuts. If she thought she was going to get away with stealing Taryn than she had another thing coming. August wasn't going to let them take her. Over his dead body. Which might actually happen if he did anything stupid, but that didn't stop him. He'd do anything for Taryn, even give his own life.

Dixie screamed in frustration, surprising both August and Chord. She marched straight up to the lady and waved her finger in her face. "Iris so help me I will tear you limb from limb if you dare to so much as think about taking Taryn. I'm sick of you and your games. This entire thing has been a ruse to lure Taryn in so you could steal her power, wasn't it? Well congratulations, you've succeeded. Now give us our friend back before we unleash hell on all of you consecutively."

Chord leaned over and whispered, "Remind me never to get on Dixie's bad side."

"No kidding." August agreed with a nod.

The lady, whom Dixie had called Iris, threw her head back and laughed. "You're going to release hell on us? Oh, dear, that was pure gold. Honestly, you should consider a future in comedy. You truly are a natural." She took a deep breath to compose herself. "Despite your pathetic threats, we will be taking Taryn with us. I simply have no desire to deal with a whining Colton. A happy Colton is bad enough. As for the rest of you, the curse will be destroyed. It has served its purpose well. As you said before, we got what we came for. There's no need to keep it around any longer. Per Taryn's request, we shall allow each of the characters to return to their normal lives as if nothing has happened. I am a woman of my word after all."

"How noble of you," Colton groaned, "now let's get out of here. This kid is dead weight over here."

Iris sighed and rolled her eyes. "Very well then. Have a safe journey back to your boring realities. Honestly, you would have thought they'd be a bit more grateful. I pulled them out of their mundane lives to live out an exciting one here. So many people dream of living out a fairy tale. You're living out thousands of people's dreams and you're complaining." She shook her head in disappointment. "Children these days will never be grateful for anything."

August couldn't move. He was rooted to the spot as if his shoes had been glued to the floor. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move. He watched helplessly as Iris turned to Colton and snapped her fingers. Together they faded from view, taking Taryn with them.

August wanted to scream. It couldn't end like this. They'd finally been happy, living out normal lives together. He, Dixie and Taryn had become a family. He wasn't going to let that just fade away.

Dixie screamed at Taryn, hoping for a miracle that maybe she would hear. Chord looked broken. He fell to his knees and stared blankly at the place where Colton had stood holding Taryn's body. She'd looked so broken and close to death. If there was one thing August could count on it was that Colton would want Taryn alive. He was sick like that. Which meant that they still had a chance to save her. That thought alone was the only thing keeping August from falling apart.

"Now what?" Dixie spun to face August with tears streaming down her cheeks. "We can't just let them get away."

August set his jaw. "We won't. Taryn finished what she came here to do. Everyone is going home to their families." Even then the world was beginning to fade as they were being transported back to the real world. "She saved everyone and now it's our turn to save her. There is no way we're going to just give up. If Iris thinks she can get away with this, she really must be delusional."

August knelt down next to Chord who was still in shock. He still wasn't sure who the guy was but he knew Chord was on their side. August offered his hand to the boy. Chord blinked a few times then took his offered hand. August helped him up and as the last of the room faded away, quickly told Chord where he could find him.

"Bring anyone else you might think will help us. If we're going to save her, we're going to need all the help we can get."

Chord nodded his understanding and finally smiled. "We're coming for you, Taryn."

August closed his eyes. "Stay strong just a little while longer. I'm coming."

* * *

 **Another chapter in Taryn's story comes to a close! It's really kinda bittersweet. I never know how to feel after closing out a story. There will definately be a third coming if y'all want it :) Let me know! Thank you to everyone who stuck with me through it all. I love you all! You're the best!**


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